The UDF government has decided to provide housing construction funds directly to eligible Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries in all 14 districts of the State, without transferring the allocation to the Life Mission, Minister for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare K.A. Thulasi said.
The Minister was inaugurating the district-level launch of the first phase of a 100-day outreach journey to SC settlements and Adivasi hamlets organised by the Thrissur district committee of the Bharatiya Dalit Congress at Muthuvara on Sunday. She also distributed education awards at the function.
The government, she said, was working towards comprehensive development in SC settlements across the State.
“A sum of ₹1 crore will be spent on the comprehensive development of each settlement. For smaller settlements with between three and 15 houses, ₹40 lakh has been earmarked for integrated development,” the Minister said.
She added that a self-employment scheme for women had also been launched as part of efforts to promote economic empowerment. Measures would also be taken to strengthen the economic independence of women and provide opportunities through special recruitment, she said.
The function was held at the C.N. Balakrishnan Saptati Mandir in Muthuvra. Bharatiya Dalit Congress Thrissur district president Santhosh Edathadan presided over the meeting.
Education awards were distributed during the programme, which also honoured Congress district office-bearers.
