Rs 77.2 lakh relief assistance given to 87 in Sirmaur

A total of 87 victims from 71 cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Sirmaur district have been provided relief assistance amounting to Rs 77.20 lakh between 2022 and 2025. This was informed by Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Verma while presiding over the meeting of the District Vigilance and Awareness Committee held here on Monday.

She said relief must be disbursed to victims at the earliest as per the rules and stressed that all atrocity cases against Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities must be dealt with utmost seriousness. Sharing the details of the current year, she added that relief of Rs 9 lakh has so far been disbursed to 15 victims in 2025.

The DC directed the police to submit monthly reports of atrocity cases registered across police stations along with FIR copies and medical reports to the District Welfare Officer to ensure timely follow-up.

Following this, Priyanka Verma also chaired the meeting on the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for minorities. She said of the total population of 5,29,855 in Sirmaur, minority communities constitute 53,025 individuals, forming about 10.01 per cent of the district’s population.

Discussions in the meeting also focused on the construction of special school buildings for Gujjar children at Katapatthar and Chhalluwala, for which land has been identified and will soon be transferred to the Education Department. It was further shared that scholarship schemes for meritorious students from minority communities are being implemented through the Education Department. The Deputy Director of Primary and Higher Education apprised that instructions have been issued to all schools, making headmasters accountable in cases where eligible minority students fail to apply for scholarships. The DC said enhanced loan assistance is being provided to eligible beneficiaries through district and tehsil-level welfare offices for various economic activities.