Chandigarh, September 16
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab leader and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla has welcomed the Centre’s decision to extend the pre-matric scholarship scheme to children of sanitation workers and waste pickers.
In a statement issued from the party office in Chandigarh, Sampla said the decision of the Union Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would help strengthen educational opportunities for children from families that have faced economic and social challenges for generations.
Sampla urged the Punjab Government and the Education Department to promptly verify the details of eligible students shared by the Centre, prepare a list of all eligible children and ensure that their scholarship applications are submitted. He said no deserving student should be deprived of the benefit due to a lack of information or procedural delays.
Sampla said the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has taken steps under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) to extend the pre-matric scholarship scheme to children of verified sanitation workers and waste pickers. The Ministry has shared details of eligible children with the states and Union Territories to facilitate the process and ensure that eligible students receive the benefit.
According to the report, around 90,000 sewer and septic tank workers and more than 2.5 lakh waste pickers have been verified so far. The next phase of the initiative is also being extended to sanitation workers in rural areas and those engaged in drain cleaning.
Sampla said education is one of the most important means of creating better opportunities for the next generation. Financial assistance for the education of sanitation workers’ children, he added, would help them continue their studies while reducing the financial burden on their families.