New Delhi, April 24 (IANS). The Central Government has released Rs 7,981.47 crore to more than 75 lakh Scheduled Caste (SC) beneficiaries. This information was given by the government on Friday.
The official statement said the funds were distributed under the schemes run by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment which aim to focus on the educational empowerment of marginalized students belonging to Scheduled Castes.
The expenditure on major scholarship programs has increased on an annual basis, with Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes and Others increasing by 21 per cent, Post-Graduate Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes by 11.23 per cent and Central Sector Scholarship for Higher Education for Scheduled Caste students by 13.5 per cent.
Additionally, the expenditure under the Residential Education Scheme (SHRESTHA) for students in high schools in areas targeted for Scheduled Castes has increased by 16 per cent over FY 2025.
Additionally, the National Safai Karmachari Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) distributed concessional finance worth Rs 223.47 crore to 29,448 beneficiaries in FY 2025-26, of which about 97 per cent has been released to women.
The average loan amount increased to Rs 77,000, which is 16.67 percent more than last year. With an authorized share capital of Rs 785 crore and paid-up capital of Rs 720 crore, the Corporation has disbursed a total loan of Rs 3340.67 crore, benefiting more than 6.08 lakh individuals.
NSKFDC is operational since October 1997 and focuses on socio-economic upliftment of sanitation workers, waste pickers, manual scavengers and their dependents through concessional finance and support interventions.
The statement said the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment oversees the implementation of various Acts and welfare schemes aimed at upliftment of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), senior citizens, alcohol and substance abuse victims, transgender persons, begging persons, denotified and nomadic tribes (DNTs) and economically weaker sections (EWS).
–IANS
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