'Buying goods from SSIs run by SC/ST must'

To boost economic empowerment, the Central government has made it mandatory for all its departments to buy products and avail services from enterprises run by SC/STs, a move stated to be a major departure from its procurement policy.

Announcing this to mediapersons in the City on Saturday, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik said every year the Central government procures goods and avails of services from enterprises to the tune of Rs 1.75 lakh crore. Of this 20 per cent of procurement amounting to Rs 35,000 crore is made from small scale units.

However, now it has been made mandatory to purchase 20 per cent of goods from small scale industries run by SC/STs, thus enabling them to earn to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore every year, he said.

“The policy initiative has been taken to ensure economic empowerment and enhance socio-economic status of dalit entrepreneurs in the country,” Wasnik said.

The minister had arrived in the City to inaugurate the women’s hostel building of Dr Ambedkar Arts and Commerce College and Siddhartha Law College run by the Karnataka People’s Education Society headed by Union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned Rs 68 lakh towards the construction of the hostel building.

The Union government has hiked the amount of scholarships awarded to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and minorities benefiting as many as  75 lakh students, the minister said.