Residential school kids to get free milk

The Ksheera Bhagya scheme to provide a free glass of milk to schoolchildren will be extended to residential schools run by the Social Welfare Department even as the government Tuesday approved spending Rs 30,445 crore for the development of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy chaired a meeting of the state council for SC/ST development that monitors the implementation of a law that mandate spending a portion of the budget on the welfare of the SC/STs.

As per the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources) Act, 2013, the government has earmarked Rs 21,602.63 crore for SC and Rs 8,842.36 crore for ST in the 2019-20 fiscal.

During 2018-19, the government had allocated Rs 29,723.57 crore under the sub-plans of which Rs 28,110.71 crore had been spent through various programmes, a 94% expenditure.

Under the sub-plans this year, SC/ST farmers will get Rs 3 lakh towards purchase of 25 HP tractors whereas horticulturists will receive up to 90% aid towards setting up polyhouse.

MSME entrepreneurs belonging to the SC/ST communities will now get up to 75% financial assistance (it was 50% earlier) to set up their own firms through the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation.