Cabinet nod to Rs 200 cr dues payment to sugarcane farmers

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 22

The Uttarakhand Cabinet that met here today announced several populist schemes to benefit all sections of society.

The Cabinet announced payment of Rs 200 crore as dues to sugarcane farmers. While the state government would pay Rs 100 crore, the remaining amount would be raised through loans and other sources.

The Cabinet also approved a monthly pension of Rs 4,000 to the children of freedom fighters, a scholarship scheme named after statehood activist Indermani Badoni for meritorious students of families belonging to the BPL category, a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore to be created for meritorious students belonging to the Muslim community for technical and higher education under the Chief Minister’s special scheme. Another scheme for OBC meritorious students was also approved.

Further, the state government also announced a scheme for meritorious students belonging to the SC category in the memory of former MLA from Bhagwanpur and Transport Minister Surinder Rakesh. Under the scheme, students achieving top 10 positions in high school would be given Rs 1 lakh each for pursuing higher studies.

The Cabinet also approved a scholarship scheme for children of nomadic tribesmen, for Kamboj communities and for those belonging to extreme backward classes. It also approved a plan for providing free sanitary napkins to girl students of government schools studying in Class XI to XII. Under the scheme, in the first phase, 25 per cent of the students would be covered.