Ludhiana: Punjab minister for scheduled castes, backward classes and minority welfare Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Monday asserted that the state government would support the implementation of the National SC-ST
Hub scheme in Ludhiana to bring out more successful entrepreneurs from the backward communities.
Addressing a state-level conclave here, the minister said Punjab which has 35% of SC population deserved more opportunities and the SC-ST hub scheme in Ludhiana was a step in the right direction. He also claimed the state government would leave no stone unturned to raise awareness about the scheme so that its benefits percolated to as many people as possible. He added there was also a need to provide free training, ensure easy availability of loans to help them start their
business.
Dharamsot also underscored the fact that Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) had been given an annual target of 20% procurement from Micro, Small and Medium Industries and they had to get 4% from Micro, Small and Medium Industries owned by SC-ST entrepreneurs but this figure in reality was a disappointing 0.05% during 2017. He exhorted the officials to make sure that more people are made aware of the scheme so that the target was achieved.
On this occasion, P J S Rao, director, ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said the Union government had allocated Rs 490 crore for the creation of SC-ST hubs in the country during the last budget. He added PM Narendra Modi launched the hub Initiative in Ludhiana on October 18, 2016 and announced that the city would be included in the list of cities where the hub would come up.
Former MLA Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, ex chairman of Punjab State Schedule Castes Commission Rajesh Bagha, director MSME, Ludhiana Major Singh and other officials and businessmen attended the programme.
