Guwahati, Mar 3 (PTI) The need for creating greater awareness of central government schemes for the marginalised section was underscored at a review meeting of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment here on Monday.

The importance of coordination between central and state governments for implementation of such programmes was also underlined during the meet, which deliberated on its progress in the northeastern states, an official release said.

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Chaired by the secretary of the department, Amit Yadav, the meeting was attended by officials from all the eight northeastern states.

It focused on evaluating various welfare schemes aimed at empowering marginalised communities, with particular emphasis on ensuring the full utilisation of allocated funds for the region.

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In his address, Yadav underscored the importance of the ministry's initiatives, highlighting their impact on citizens nationwide.

He placed special emphasis on the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), a scheme for the welfare of senior citizens, stressing the need for at least one ‘Senior Citizen's Home' in every district.

He also emphasised the importance of providing assistive devices to elderly individuals.

Yadav elaborated on several other key initiatives, including scholarship programmes for Scheduled Castes (SCs), the NAMASTE scheme, rehabilitation programmes for beggars and initiatives for the transgender community.

He added that these schemes have extensive reach, covering a vast section of the country's vulnerable population.

Yadav said there was a need to raise awareness about the National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for SC candidates, particularly in the northeast, where knowledge about the programme remains limited.

He said the scholarship is designed to support low-income students from SCs, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans, enabling them to pursue Masters and Ph.D programmes abroad.

He also reiterated the need for continuous monitoring and transparency in fund utilisation, particularly in the northeast, where substantial financial support is provided to uplift vulnerable communities.

A detailed review of various schemes, including the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for SCs, PM-YASASVI, NAMASTE, NAPDDR, AVYAY, and NISD, was conducted during the meeting.

Officials from the northeastern states provided updates on the status of these schemes in their respective regions, the release said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)