Bhubaneswar : Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Ramdas Athawale, said that more inter-caste marriages should be encouraged to bring equality in the society. He said this while addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
Dr. Athawale said that the Government of India along with Dr. Ambedkar Foundation is providing an incentive amount of Rs. 1.5 lakh .On the other hand, the Odisha government also has such a plan, but such marriages need to be encouraged on a large scale.
He said that 1847 inter-caste marriages were registered in Odisha during 2020-21. 2021-22 this number increased to 2428.
Giving information on racial harassment cases in the state, the minister said that 2828 rape cases were registered in 2020-21. In 2021-22, 2768 rape cases were registered. Dr. Athawale stressed that there is a need for coordination between the central and state governments to prevent cases of caste violence.
Giving information about the condition of widows, elderly and widows, the Union Minister said that about 20 lakh widows, old age and widows are getting a monthly pension of Rs 500 in Odisha. He said that there is a need to increase the number of pension beneficiaries.
Dr. Athawale informed about the various central sector schemes and the implementation status of these schemes in Odisha. According to the data, 46.25 crore PM Jan Dhan Yojana accounts have been opened across the country, while 1 crore 91 lakh 20 thousand accounts have been opened in Odisha so far.
Similarly, 36.33 crore people in the country have benefited till now under PM Mudra Yojana. On the other hand, there are 2 crore 45 lakh 50 thousand beneficiaries of this scheme in Odisha. 52 lakh 94 thousand beneficiaries of Odisha got free gas connection under PM Ujjabala Yojana.
So far, 62.22 lakh people have got housing in the country under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme (Urban). 1 lakh 8 thousand beneficiaries have benefited from this scheme in Odisha. 2 crore 40 lakh 36 thousand people across the country have been benefited under the Pradhan Mantri Abhoja Yojana (Rural), while 18 lakh rural people have got Prime Minister Abhod in Odisha.
Before the press conference, the Union Minister Mr. Athawale reviewed various central schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. He discussed the progress of these plans with senior officials of the state government.
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