Chairman Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation Mohan Lal Sood on Saturday urged the Union Government to enhance the existing subsidy under Central Sector Scheme ‘Special Central Assistance to SCSP’ three times so that the eligible beneficiary could get the maximum benefit under the scheme.While meeting the Chairman of National Scheduled Castes Commission Vijay Sampla here, Sood apprised him that the subsidy under said scheme was still 10,000 since 1999 despite major increase in the inflation index, which should be enhanced three times. He also informed Sampla that the other central sponsored schemes were providing upto 25-35 percent subsidies to beneficiaries of Scheduled Castes families and the subsidy under Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan should be increased by Rs. 30,000.Referring to a charter of demand dispatched by the Punjab Government to Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mohan Lal Sood urged the National SC Commission Chairman to take up the same with the said Ministry and get the demands of Punjab fulfilled. He said that the increase subsidy by the Centre would certainly strengthen the opportunities to SC beneficiaries for setting up their own ventures under different schemes pertaining to self-employment.
Vijay Sampla assured that the he would personally look into the demands and take up the same with the Union Ministry.Mohan Lal Sood pointed out that the Corporation established in 1970 were extending loans through different banks to SCs, Persons with Disabilities and members of the Safai Sewaks families. He said that the Corporation would provide total loans to the tune of Rs. 10 crore to eligible beneficiaries for self-employment on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of the corporation as it was completing 50 years. He also mentioned that the Punjab Government under Captain Amarinder Singh had already waived off loans worth Rs 42.41 crore of around 1200 beneficiaries under Debt Waiver Scheme. He also informed that the Punjab Government had provided the ownership rights to the people residing within the Lal Lakeer, which would pave a way to get loans in hassle free manner as earlier they had to face several hardships in absence of said rights. He also said that the Corporation had extended the subsidy worth Rs. 1.50 crore to beneficiaries last year besides providing loans worth Rs. 9 crore to beneficiaries during the 550th Prakash Purb celebration of Guru Nanak Dev Ji across state.