Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhu launches Rs 101 crore fund for orphans, destitutes

shimla: In his first major social security initiative, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday launched a Rs 101 crore fund for the welfare and financial aid for higher studies of children, especially orphans, destitutes and senior citizens at old age homes.

He declared that all 40 Congress MLAs will also contribute Rs 1 lakh each from their first salaries even as he desired BJP MLAs also making a similar contribution to the fund.

On the first day of the year, he said that the moves comes as sequel to his visit to Balika ashram, orphanage home and old age homes in Shimla. He said that it was his resolve to see that all children and senior citizens get the best facilities and don't feel neglected.

"On the very first day after taking oath as Chief Minister, I visited the Girl Child Care Institute, Tutikandi (Shimla) to know about the functioning of the institute. Besides, I also inspected Nari Seva Sadan and Old Age Ashram, Mashobra. I genuinely felt that a lot more needed to be done for destitute children, women and senior citizens," he said.

He said the government was the guardian of the children who do not have parents. A notification has already been issued by the state government to provide festival grants of Rs 500 each to the residents of Child Care Institutions, Nari Seva Sadan, Shakti Sadan

and Old Age Homes to celebrate the festivals. Rolling out the scheme, the CM said

the state government would set up the Chief Minister's Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh with an outlay of Rs 101 crore so

that the facility of higher education could be provided to those in need.

The state government will bear the expenditure on skill development education, higher education and vocational training of such children in engineering colleges, IIIT, NIT, IIM, IT, polytechnic institutes, nursing and degree colleges etc.

They will also be given financial assistance as per their requirement so that they can lead a respectable life. He said that receiving assistance from this fund would be free from government restrictions and no income certificate would be taken from them. The assistance will be given directly to the beneficiary's account by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment on simple application.