VERY GOOD BUDGET SPEECH DEAR FM. KEEP GOING. THE ELECTIONS ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
EXTRACTED AND PASTED FROM BUDGET SPEECH :
SC, ST, OBC and Minorities
42. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, socially and educationally backward classes, and minorities will continue to receive special attention.
Development and Finance Corporations
43. Development and Finance Corporations have been set up for certain disadvantaged groups. I propose to contribute additional equity to these corporations in the following manner:
Rs. Crore
1 National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation 75.00 2 Three National Finance and Development Corporations for Weaker Sections comprising
(i) Safai Karamcharis
(ii) Scheduled Castes
(iii) Backward Classes 106.50 3 National/State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations 50.00 4 National Handicapped Development Corporation 9.00
Scholarships
44. In previous Budgets, we had announced a slew of pre- and post-matric scholarship programmes for SC, ST, OBC and minorities. All of them will be continued in 2008-09 with adequate funds as summarised below:
Scheduled Castes Rs.804 crore
Scheduled Tribes Rs.195 crore
Other Backward Classes Rs.164 crore
Minorities (post-matric) Rs.100 crore
45. I propose to allocate a sum of Rs.75 crore in 2008-09 to the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Programme. As Honourable Members are aware,
