Chandigarh, June 25– To provide timely financial assistance in cases of atrocities against people belonging to Schedule Castes, Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal has directed the officers concerned to release Rs 50 lakh to every district.

The Chief Minister was presiding over a meeting of State-Level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee constituted under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995, here today. Haryana Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Minister, Dr. Banwari Lal, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Sh. Anoop Dhanak, MP Smt. Sunita Duggal, MLA Sh. Varun Chaudhary, Sh. Satyaprakash Jarawat and Sh. Ramkaran Kala were also present in the meeting.

Sh. Manohar Lal directed the officers that 20 per cent reservation should be ensured for candidates belonging to Schedule Caste in the recruitment to be done under outsourcing policy in various departments and it should be monitored at regular intervals. The Chief Minister also instructed the officers that the meeting of the State Level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee should be held in every six months.

He said that the amount of legal aid given in cases of atrocities against people belonging to Schedule Caste should also be released without any delay. Besides this, hoardings or banners should be put up in areas with high density of Schedule Caste people and at prime locations to make people aware of their rights. Apart from this, information should also be given through various other methods of publicity.

The Chief Minister said that every MP and MLA should organise seminars at regular intervals in their respective constituencies with a view to educate the people belonging to Schedule Caste about their rights. He specified that the reason behind atrocities against people belonging to Schedule Caste in certain areas of the state should also be ascertained.

Chief Secretary Sh. Vijai Vardhan, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. D.S. Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Sh. T.V.S.N. Prasad, Principal Secretary, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department, Sh. Vineet Garg, Director General of Police, Sh. Manoj Yadava, Secretary Home Department-I, Sh. T.L. Satyaprakash and Director General, Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes, Smt. Renu S Phulia and several senior officers were present in the meeting.