The Haryana government marked the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki by holding a state-level event on Sunday at Eklavya Stadium in Jind district, where chief minister Nayab Singh Saini attended as the chief guest.
The chief minister offered flowers at the portrait of Maharishi Valmiki and paid his respects. Afterward, he met with the saints present at the ceremony to receive their blessings. On this occasion, the Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs 51 lakh for the Maharishi Valmiki Bhavan in Narwana town of Jind district. He also said that assistance would be provided for building a student hostel in Hisar.
CM Nayab Singh Saini stated that Maharishi Valmiki set ideal standards for a ruler in the Ramayana, and following those principles, the Haryana government is working for the welfare and upliftment of every citizen in the state. In line with Maharishi Valmiki’s teachings and under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government has worked for the upliftment of marginalized individuals.
He added that in fulfilment of the promises made in their manifesto, the state government has implemented the classification of reservations within the Scheduled Castes into two categories: “Deprived Scheduled Castes” and “Other Scheduled Castes.”
He explained that half of the 20% reservation for Scheduled Castes in direct government recruitment would be allocated to candidates from the deprived Scheduled Castes. If suitable candidates from the deprived category are unavailable, the remaining positions will be filled by candidates from other Scheduled Castes, and vice versa, he added.
The chief minister said that to spread the teachings and messages of great personalities like Maharishi Valmiki, Sant Kabir Das, Sant Ravi Das, and Baba Saheb Ambedkar, the state government would establish Samrasta Virasat Kendras in major cities.
The chief minister announced that the Haryana government had formed a Haryana State Sanitation Workers Commission to protect the interests of sanitation workers. In the event of death during duty, workers will receive a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and for death while working in sewage, the compensation will be Rs 10 lakh.
The government is also committed to raising the salaries of sanitation workers from Rs 16,000-17,000 to Rs 26,000-27,000 per month and ensuring that 50% of cleaning contracts go to sanitation workers and their groups.
The CM stated that 5 lakh houses would be built for the poor in both urban and rural areas. Under the Chief Minister’s Urban Housing Scheme, 15,250 poor families have been allocated plots of 30 square yards. Additionally, under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme, homes are being built for the poor, and Rs 80,000 is provided under the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Housing Renovation Scheme for home repairs.
He mentioned that 48 lakh BPL (Below Poverty Line) families in Haryana receive free food grains. Under the Prime Minister’s Ujjwala Scheme, 13 lakh poor families have been given LPG connections, and the state government is providing gas cylinders at a subsidized rate of Rs 500 to BPL families. Additionally, “Happy Cards” have been issued to poor families, allowing them to travel 1,000 kilometers annually on Haryana Roadways buses for free.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Krishna Kumar Bedi criticized the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda government for not acting on the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling on the matter and claimed they had worked to reduce reservations rather than expand them.
