SHIMLA-14^th May, 2025-Health, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil chaired 50th meeting of Board of Directors of Mahila Vikas Nigam and the 75th meeting of Board of Directors of Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation here today. The meetings were held to review and strengthen the initiatives aimed at promoting economic growth and social welfare among women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.

The minister emphasized to simplifying loan procedures so as to reduce the timeframe for sanctioning of loans and making loan facilities more accessible and easier to beneficiaries. He called for streamlining the loan application process and facilitate loan disbursement to cover more women, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries, particularly in rural and remote areas. He also directed to set targets by fixing yearly and short-term goals for loan disbursement and working towards achieving them to ensure effective implementation.

By providing subsidized loans and simplifying the loaning process, the government aims to promote economic growth, entrepreneurship and self-employment among these communities.

The government provides loans at subsidized rate of interest to women, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries. He also asked to explore possibilities for income generation and to reduce expenditure to enhance revenue so that more benefits could be extended to the beneficiaries.

Various issues aimed at further strengthening the initiatives to economically facilitate the beneficiaries were raised before the Boards and approved. The minister said that these approvals were expected to have a positive impact on the socio-economic development of women and marginalized communities.

He said that the government's efforts to promote social welfare and economic development are expected to have a lasting impact on the state's progress. "The government is working towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society, where every individual has access to opportunities for growth and development," the Minister added.

Earlier, the Minister also presided over the meeting of Himachal Pradesh Koli Samaj and also discussed for the construction of a Koli Samaj Bhawan in Rajhana, Shimla. He directed the concerned department to conduct a joint inspection of the construction site within a week so that all the necessary formalities, including forest clearance, could be attained and the work could be started as early as possible.