41% hike in Budget allocation for OBC welfare schemes

New Delhi, February 15: With an aim to improve social status of Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Centre has increased the budgetary allocation for the category by 41 percent in 2018-19 over 2017-18.

Also there is an increase of 11.57% in the budget allocation for schemes in 2018-19 over 2017-18. In addition, there is an increase of 41.03% in the budget allocation for the welfare of OBC in 2018-19 over 2017-18.

A New scheme Venture Capital Fund for OBCs on similar lines as Venture Capital Fund for SCs to be launched with an initial corpus of Rs. 200 crore. Rs. 140 crore has been provided for it in 2018-19.

The Skill Development Training has been given to 13,587 manual scavengers and their dependents. 809 manual scavengers and their dependents have been provided bank loans.

For the first time, Rs. 200 crore has been provided for rehabilitation of victims of drugs abuse. 15 pilot districts across the country would be taken up for intensive activities. Under the scheme of rehabilitation of drug victims, outpatient facilities will be provided in all the centres supported by this Department.

Instead of de-addiction centres, they will be renamed as Treatment Clinics. Such treatment clinics will be set up in major prisons, juvenile homes and major Government hospitals in the States.

For the Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBC, the income eligibility has been increased from Rs.44,500/- per annum to Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum. For Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC, the income eligibility has been raised from Rs.2.00 lakhs to Rs. 2.5 lakhs. Stipend for day scholars has been raised from Rs. 150 to Rs. 225 and for hostellers it has been raised from Rs. 350 to Rs. 525/-.

Top Class Education for Scheduled Castes has been raised from Rs. 4.5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh per annum. For Free coaching for SC and OBC students, the income eligibility has been raised from Rs. 4.5 lakhs to Rs. 6 lakhs. Stipend has been raised from Rs. 1500/- Rs. 2500/- for local students and from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 for outstation students. For Pre-matric Scholarship for OBC, the rates of scholarships has been increased substantially.

The earlier rates of scholarships of day - scholars from Class I to V, Class VI to VIII and Class IX to X of Rs. 25, Rs.40 and Rs. 50 respectively for 10 months has been revised to Rs. 100 per month for 10 months from Class I to X.

Earlier rates of scholarships of hostellers from Class III to VIII and Class IX to X of Rs. 200 and Rs. 250 respectively for ten months has been revised to Rs. 500 per month for 10 months from Class III to X.

Under the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes, the assistance has been increased from Rs. 25,000/- to Rs. 28,000/- per student.