RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday announced pension benefits for tribals and Dalits when they reach 50 years of age. Soren made the announcement while addressing a function held in the state capital to mark the completion of four years of the JMM-led government in the state.
“The government has decided to provide pension benefits to tribals and Dalits when they turn 50. The death rate among them is high and they do not get jobs after 50 years of age. It will be especially beneficial to the endangered particularly vulnerable tribal groups in the state,” he said.
The chief minister also distributed appointment letters to the candidates selected for different government jobs, besides inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for schemes worth about Rs 4,500 crore at Morhabdi Maidaan in Ranchi.
Soren said in each household of the state, at least one member of the family gets benefits of one or another pension scheme of the state government. “This is not enough as they are facing a lot of problems, he said. The CM said efforts were being made to connect the primitive tribes with the mainstream, making available food grain to their doorstep, giving them direct appointments in jobs and also providing free coaching for them in different parts of the state.
“During the last four years, we have given pension benefits to 36 lakh people above 60 years of age, widows above 18 years of age, and also physically challenged persons,” said the CM. The state is implementing many schemes for the first time, including the outreach programme ‘Aapki Yojna, Aapki Sarkar, Aaapke Dwar,” he added.
Soren said when his government was formed four years ago, the financial condition of the state was bad. “Yet we gave ration cards to the people and connected 20 lakh farmers to the KCC, he said. The Chief Minister further announced that now, the Jharkhand government will distribute insured animals to the farmers.
“The previous BJP government gave weak animals to the farmers, which died soon,” said Soren. In a state with no double-engine government, they are given step-motherly treatment,” he added. Soren alleged lack of support from the Centre, saying the governor was instigated against his government.
“The Centre owes `1.36 lakh crore to Jharkhand on account of coal mined in the state. But when we ask for the money, the Centre refuses. It behaves in a step-motherly way with Jharkhand,” Soren alleged.
Keeping up his attack on the Centre, Soren said it was requested to allocate an additional eight lakh houses for the poor in Jharkhand, but it did not.
