Minister Narendra Kashyap Calls for Contract Teachers in Special Schools, Large-Scale Plantation Drive on World Environment Day
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government may soon consider merging the Backward Class Welfare Department and the Divyangjan Empowerment Department, a move aimed at improving administrative efficiency and ensuring better delivery of welfare schemes to beneficiaries. The proposal emerged during a high-level departmental review meeting chaired by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Backward Class Welfare and Divyangjan Empowerment Narendra Kashyap at his office in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly complex on Monday.
Reviewing the progress of various welfare schemes, the minister emphasized that the state government has adequate financial resources for the welfare and empowerment of backward classes and persons with disabilities, and efforts are underway to ensure their effective utilization.
Addressing preparations for World Environment Day on June 5, Kashyap directed officials to organize plantation drives in every district under the campaign “One Tree in Mother’s Name.” He instructed the department to appoint nodal officers at the district level to ensure active participation and smooth execution of the programme.
The minister also expressed serious concern over the shortage of teachers in government-run special schools for children with disabilities. Describing the issue as a major obstacle to quality education, he stated that a school without teachers loses its purpose and results in wastage of public funds. He directed officials to appoint teachers on a contractual basis until regular recruitment is completed, ensuring that academic activities continue uninterrupted.
Kashyap further instructed that special schools such as Sanket, Sparsh, Mamta, and Prayas should also undertake large-scale plantation campaigns under the “One Tree in Mother’s Name” initiative. He called for a structured approach to the programme and asked officials to designate nodal officers for its implementation. The minister also stressed the need to celebrate International Yoga Day on a grand scale across departmental institutions.
During the meeting, Principal Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh briefed the minister on the latest progress of departmental schemes and proposed the merger of the Backward Class Welfare and Divyangjan Empowerment departments. He also advocated the creation of a dedicated departmental website to improve access to welfare schemes and ensure timely delivery of benefits to eligible beneficiaries.
At present, both departments function under the umbrella of the Social Welfare Department. Responding to the proposal, Minister Kashyap assured officials that the matter would be examined carefully before a final decision is taken.
Highlighting the department’s achievements, Kashyap remarked that while the names of the departments may traditionally be associated with social backwardness and disability, significant progress has been achieved through focused efforts. He noted that the implementation of most departmental schemes has reached near-complete success.
The minister also revealed that the state government is considering increasing the scholarship amount for eligible students from ₹2,250 to ₹3,000, while also raising the annual income eligibility limit from ₹1 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh, a move expected to benefit a larger number of students from backward communities.
In another significant initiative, Kashyap proposed organizing a national-level awareness and outreach programme to promote departmental schemes and increase public awareness about welfare initiatives for backward classes and persons with disabilities. The event would feature informative booklets, workshops, exhibitions of assistive devices and artificial limbs, as well as online registration facilities for beneficiaries.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s call for greater public engagement and monitoring, the minister directed the Principal Secretary and Director of the department to establish a weekly virtual interaction with district-level officials. He also asked that access links be shared with him so that he could personally participate in the discussions and review progress on a regular basis.
Principal Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh assured the minister that all directions issued during the meeting would be implemented in letter and spirit.
The review meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Director Umesh Pratap Singh, and other senior departmental officials.
