Inter-caste marriages need to be promoted on higher scale to bring equality in the society, said Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Ramdas Athawale while addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

Dr. Athawale said that the ministry through Dr. Ambedkar Foundation is providing Rs 2.5 lakh for inter-caste marriages while the Odisha Government too has a similar scheme, but there is a need to promote it on a higher scale.

He said that in 2020-21, 1,847 inter-caste marriages were registered in Odisha which rose to 2428 in 2021-22.

Providing data on the cases of atrocities in the state, the minister said that Odisha has registered 2,828 cases of atrocities in 2020-21 and 2,768 cases during 2021-22. “The Center and the state need to work in coordination to stop the cases of atrocities,” Dr Athawale stressed.

Talking about the status of Divyangas, elderly and widows, the minister said that in Odisha, around 20 lakh Divyangs, elderly and widows are receiving pensions worth Rs 500 a month. “We need to increase the amount of pension for the beneficiaries,” he said.

Dr. Athawale also provided data on various central sector schemes and their status of implementation in the state. As per data, under PM Jan-Dhan Yojana, 46.25 crore accounts have been opened across the nation while in Odisha, 1 crore 91 lakh 20 thousand accounts have been opened so far.

Similarly, under PM Mudra Yojana, 36.33 crore people have so far been benefited, while in Odisha, the number of beneficiaries stands at 2 crore 45 lakh 50 thousand. In PM Ujjwala Yojana, 52 lakh 94 thousands beneficiaries have got cooking gas connection in Odisha.

Under PM Awas Yojana (Urban), 62.22 lakh people have got houses across the nation, while in Odisha, 1 lakh 8 thousand benefited. 2 crore 40 lakh 36 thousand people have got pucca houses in the country under PM Awas (Rural), while in Odisha, the number stands at 18 lakhs.

Earlier today, the Minister reviewed implementation of various central schemes of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the state with senior Government officials.

SM/SSP

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