Minister of Finance, Culture and Labor & Employment, Dr Haseeb Drabu today appealed for calm while urging people to join hands for restoring peace in Kashmir and give the present Government the space to deliver.The Minister was speaking at a function at Town Hall here after distributing cheques among the beneficiaries of social welfare schemes run by the State Government and the Centre.At the function, 71 beneficiaries were given cash assistance worth Rs 21.53 lakh under Indira Awaas Yojana while Rs 73.40 lakh were distributed among 664 beneficiaries under Educational Assistance Scheme of J&K Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (JKBOCWWB).Minister for Public Work and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Abdul Rehman Veeri, Minister of State for Forest, Environment & Ecology and Animal & Sheep Husbandry, Mr. Zahoor Ahmad Mir, MLA Tral, Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama Mr. Muneer Ul Islam, Secretary JKBOCWWB Syed Murid Hussain and Assistant Commissioner Development Dr. Zahoor Ahmad were also present on the occasion.Briefing the Minister, Syed Muried Hussain gave a brief presentation about different schemes run by the board for the welfare of workers like Educational Assistance, Marriage Assistance, Disability Assistance and Healthcare Assistance.
Giving details, the Secretary said that under Disability Assistance, the board gives up to Rs 75,000 to the beneficiary, Rs. 25000 per child for a maximum of three children under Marriage Assistance Scheme and up to Rs 2 lakh under Healthcare Assistance Scheme.
He informed the Minister that the Board is making all efforts to bring transparency in its functioning while endeavouring to bring all labourers under its ambit. The Secretary informed the meeting that around 12000 workers are presently registered with the board in Pulwama district.Expressing the need to sensitize more labourers, especially those working in unorganized sectors, about various Financial Assistance schemes run by the Government for their welfare, the Minister directed the Secretary to organize awareness camps in the district.Dr Drabu assured all sorts of assistance from the Government, stressing that the dearth of funds will not be a hurdle in the smooth functioning of the Board. The Minister said the present coalition government is dedicated to provide good governance to the people.The Finance Minister also appealed people to work shoulder to shoulder with the Government to maintain peace so that the Coalition Government takes the State to new heights of development.