Himachal Pradesh has been awarded a National Performance Award for the concerted efforts made by the State Government in socio-economic upliftment of the backward classes during the year 2009-10 for ranking third in the country. The Award was presented to Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, by J.S. Pathania, Managing Director, HP State Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation. The Award had been presented by Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mukul Vasnik, in the national level meeting of Managing Directors of all the State Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation held at Mumbai which was received by Managing Director of HP State Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation, J.S. Pathania on behalf of the State recently.
Chief Minister congratulated the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of the Corporation for such an achievement and reiterated the resolve of the State Government to protect the interests of the members of backward classes. He said that a number of schemes had been envisioned and launched for the socio-economic upliftment of the members of backward classes. He said that the State Government was providing reservation to the members of the community in government jobs aimed at providing them more opportunities to enter the government service. He said that Himachal Pradesh Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation was also providing liberal financial assistance by way of loan at low rate of interests to help them rise above the poverty line. He said that loan facility was available for agricultural, service sector, transport activities at a marginal rate of interest of 6 percent while educational loan for seeking admission by the students of the community in the vocational courses was available at 4 percent rate of interest.
Prof. Dhumal said that the Corporation was also implementing Swarnima scheme for the women of the community living below poverty line for dairy and other small business wherein loan facility was available to them at nominal rate of 4 percent. He said that since the inception of the Corporation the Corporation had financed 3,335 people of the community by disbursing loan of Rs. 35.14 crore. He said that annual income eligibility for availing the loan by the members of the community had also been fixed at Rs. 40,000 for rural areas and Rs. 55,000 in urban areas so that the benefit could reach farthest corner of the section of the society. He appealed to the members of the community to take benefit of all such schemes and rise above the poverty line.
