Chandigarh, November 8: The Punjab government has approved a loan waiver of around ₹68 crore for nearly 4,700 Scheduled Caste (SC) families who had borrowed from the Punjab Scheduled Caste Land Development and Finance Corporation (PSCFC).
Officials said the move aims to provide long-awaited financial relief to families struggling with debt. The decision, taken under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership, is part of a wider plan to promote social equity and economic stability for Dalit households in the state.
A government spokesperson said the waiver, amounting to ₹67.84 crore, would help ease financial distress among the beneficiaries and allow them to rebuild their livelihoods. “This is more than a financial measure — it is an attempt to ensure dignity and self-reliance among families burdened for years,” the statement noted.
The Mann government has five cabinet ministers from the Scheduled Caste community who, officials said, are directly supervising the implementation of welfare schemes across sectors, including education and social justice.
Under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP), Punjab allocated nearly ₹13,836 crore in 2023–24 to fund various welfare programmes targeted at Dalit families. The government said the objective is to make SC communities “equal partners in Punjab’s growth story.”
Officials added that schemes such as loan waivers, scholarships, and the “Aashirwad” marriage assistance initiative are intended to bridge the gap between policy and ground-level impact. “The goal is to ensure that no family remains outside the development framework,” the spokesperson said.
According to official data, more than 1.66 lakh Scheduled Caste (SC) students have applied this year under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme hosted on the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal. The state government said it disbursed ₹267.54 crore during 2024–25 to support over 2.37 lakh beneficiaries and has earmarked another ₹245 crore for the next financial year.
The Chief Minister’s Office noted that the entire scholarship process has been made digital to ensure transparency and timely assistance. “No student should have to give up education due to lack of funds,” the statement said.
Under the Aashirwad Scheme, low-income SC families receive ₹51,000 in financial aid for the marriage of their daughters — an initiative aimed at providing both social and financial security.
In a bid to expand educational opportunities globally, the state government launched the Punjab Overseas Scholarship Scheme in September 2025. The scheme supports meritorious SC students to pursue higher education in the world’s top 500 universities, covering tuition fees, visa expenses, airfare, medical insurance, and an annual maintenance allowance of ₹13.17 lakh. Officials described it as “a step toward taking Dalit empowerment beyond state borders.”
According to the government, these measures reflect a wider commitment to inclusive growth through education, skill development, and equality. “The goal is to turn aspiration into access,” a spokesperson said.
