For the first time after reports of a rift between them, Captain and Sunil Jakhar shared stage at the function in Jalandhar on Saturday. (Express)
Attacking the central government on the issue of Dalits’ reservation and the SC/ST Act, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Saturday launched a loan waiver scheme for scheduled castes and backwards classes and vowed all efforts to prevent dilution of provisions under the Act.
“Our government has put all efforts so that the SC/ST Act’s provisions are not diluted. I also urge the Congress MPs from the state to take up this matter in Parliament,” Captain told a gathering at a state-level function to commemorate the 127th birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar here on Saturday.
At the function, the CM launched a debt waiver of up to Rs 50,000 each for the beneficiaries of Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation and Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation. As much as Rs 45.41 crore has been waived for 14,260 beneficiaries in the first category and Rs 6.59 crore for 1,630 people in the second category. In a token gesture, the CM handed over waiver certificates to 15 people, including 10 from the SC Land Development and Finance Corporation. A total of 650 beneficiaries were given checks on the day.
Earlier, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president and Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Sunil Jakhar, accused the Centre of being anti-Dalit. “By not defending the SC/ST Act in the Supreme Court properly, the (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi government has already attacked the social fabric of the country where two Bharat bandhs have already been observed by both the reserved categories and general castes. They (the BJP) wants to follow the British formula of divide and rule on the basis of caste and creed,” said Jakhar, adding that there is a strong need to stop the BJP from polarising the communities.
He asked the Dalits to educate themselves. Meanwhile, the CM also announced several other grants, including one of Rs 20 crore for an ongoing project of Sri Guru Ravidass Memorial at Khuralgarh Sahib in Hoshiarpur district and Rs 6 crore for completion of an Ambedkar Bhawan in Ludhiana. He also announced a new degree college in Buta Mandi, Jalandhar city, and establishment of Dr B R Ambedkar Chair in Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar.