Sakina distributes cheques worth Rs 2 cr among 4649 beneficiaries

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 29: Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo today said that Social Welfare Department was playing a pivotal role towards the empowerment of the women folk, besides providing a helping hand to needy, downtrodden, destitute, women in distress, economically backward and week, and those belonging to below poverty line and far flung areas .
The Minister was addressing a huge gathering of Anganwari Workers, Helpers at a cheque distribution function cum awareness camp at Roop Nagar, Jammu.
She said that presently more than 5 lakh people were being benefitted by various schemes of SW Department like old age pension, widow pension, SABLANFBS and scholarship schemes.
Ms Sakina said that during the last four years, her ministry, under the leadership of Omar Abdullah, has taken a number of revolutionary steps to streamline the functioning of the department.
She said that efforts are on to clear the pendency of old age pension cases and assured that the issue would be solved soon. She said that the main objective of paying the old age pension through banks was to bring more transparency in the disbursement.
Highlighting the responsibilities of Anganwari Workers, she said that they have a great role in the transformation of the life of economically backward classes.
The Minister said that more than 50, 000 senior citizens are benefitted under old age pension schemes, while in many areas adolescent girls are benefitted under SABLA scheme. She said that during the year 2012-13, amounts of Rs.15459250 have been distributed as scholarship among 2313 students in Jammu district. She said that the department has also disbursed Rs.15.20 lakh among 125 beneficiaries under National Family Benefit Scheme(NFBS) in the district.
On the occasion, the Minister distributed cheques worth Rs. 2 crore including Rs.1.29 crore among 4581 beneficiaries under minority scholarship scheme, Rs.50850 among 61 under scholarships to SC, Rs.30000 among three beneficiaries under NFBS and Rs.6400 among four women beneficiaries under widow pensions scheme.
The Minister later inaugurated Computer and Braille Lab at Residential cum Blind School, at Roop Nagar. The Centre is equipped with four computers. The School have 25 regular and 6 DS scholars. Besides she also distributed three tricycles among beneficiaries on the occasion.
Earlier, The Director Social Welfare Department, Jammu gave a resume of various schemes like ICDS being implemented by the social welfare.