Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 7 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday highlighted that about 30 crore people across the country have come out of the poverty line in the last decade due to the policies of the Central Government.

The Chief Minister said this while addressing a two-day Chintan Shivir of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment today in Dehradun. He said it was a matter of pride for his state that a national-level Chintan Shivir is being organized here on an important topic like social justice.

'This Chintan Shivir is also an extension of the thinking of sages like Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. The dialogue to be organized in this camp will prepare a roadmap for the policies of social empowerment to be adopted in future,' Dhami said.

The Chief Minister said that work is being done in the country today under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'visionary leadership' with the basic mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas.'

For several decades, the country's Social Welfare Department was considered to be limited to a few select works. But due to the policies and schemes adopted after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, about 30 crore people of the country have been successful in coming out of poverty in the last decade.

He said that today in the country, on the one hand, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is improving the standard of living of the elderly, widows and disabled people by giving them special pension, while on the other hand, students are also being given an opportunity to make their future bright by giving them scholarships.

Similarly, through various schemes and policies, efforts are being made to bring the most backward classes into the mainstream by encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship. Awareness programs and rehabilitation centers are also being conducted for people suffering from drug addiction.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is also working towards bringing the concept of social justice to the ground in the state. Along with increasing the old age pension, the state government is providing a pension to both husband and wife. Pension schemes are being paid on a monthly basis, and pension schemes are being made online. Three gas cylinders are being provided free of cost to Antyodaya families every year.

Similarly, along with giving scholarships to the children of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories from class 1 to XII, 15 hostels, 5 residential schools, and 3 ITIs are also being run for them free of cost. Free coaching and a monthly scholarship are also being provided to prepare for competitive examinations.

A grant of Rs 50 thousand is also being given for the marriage of daughters of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe persons. Along with developing infrastructure facilities in tribal areas, a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore has also been arranged for the Tribal Research Institute.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that under the Atal Housing Scheme of the State Government, one lakh twenty thousand rupees is being provided to homeless families of Scheduled Castes to build permanent houses. 128 tribal villages of Uttarakhand have been selected under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan.

In Uttarakhand, with the help of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, people are being trained to provide eye treatment and geriatric care to the elderly. The Chief Minister said that 4 per cent reservation is being provided to the disabled in government jobs in the state. The state government is running the Nasha Mukt Devbhoomi Abhiyan in mission mode.

The government is also working on a plan to operate de-addiction centers in every district of the state, and one has already been started in Haldwani of the Nainital district.

While, on the one hand, children involved in begging are being rescued and encouraged to go to school in the state, efforts are also being made to connect the youth and adults with self-employment by providing them with skill development training. To further strengthen the efforts being made by the state government in this direction, the chief minister said four cities of the state have been selected under the SMILE scheme of the central government.

In the end, the Chief Minister invited all the participants to come to the upcoming Chardham Yatra and said that starting this year, the state government has also started the winter yatra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has visited Harshil and encouraged the participants. (ANI)