NaMo has kicked off a veritable war to claim and win the legacy of the Dalit icon Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. By claiming that he's Prime Minister because of Babasaheb, he sparked a strong reaction all across the political spectrum. While the Congress, as usual, was at a loss (having glorified only the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty), Dalit Tsarina reacted strongly asking her vote bank to be wary of and alert against this sort of hijacking of the legacy of Ambedkar. From official statistics, it's clear that the PM is determined to influence and win over a sizable chunk of SC/ST population, even as the RSS, his mentor, is busy building solid blocks of a nationalist front inside the Dalit and backward communities. For this, he's generously provided funds in the budget and much of the funds are targeted at young and impressionable minds. For instance, as many as 3, 30, 64,900 SC and OBC students get scholarships worth Rs7, 465 crores in the last two years. This sum was disbursed under various schemes : Pre-matric, Post-matric, National Overseas, National Fellowship and Dr. Ambedkar Post-matric Scholarship for EBC, being run for students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Backward Classes etc. Further, a sum of Rs. 38,832 crore has been allocated to SC Sub plan during the current fiscal to provide 100% grant to the States/UTs, as an additive to their Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP). The main objective is to give a thrust to family-oriented schemes of economic development of SCs below the poverty line. Also, the Government has decided to provide financial assistance to 2.5 lakh Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Women Entrepreneurs under the Stand Up India Campaign. Some of the other measures for Economic Empowerment of these targeted groups include: · Hubs are being created for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Entrepreneurs at a cost of Rs.500 crore. · Under the Mudra Yojana, 3.22 crore loans have been disbursed out of which 72.89 lakh loans have been disbursed to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe, Entrepreneurs. · The Government of India and PSUs have special provision for purchasing goods from Micro and Small Scale Industries. They have been asked to purchase at least 4% from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Entrepreneurs, which will be intensively followed up. · Under the Scheme of Venture Capital Fund, 36 proposals worth Rs.135.91 crore have been approved for Scheduled Caste Entrepreneurs. Rs.64.86 crore have been disbursed also. · The National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation has imparted motor driving training to 250 women, working as Safai Karmacharis or their dependent, out of which 60 women have got employment. · The authorized share capital of NSFDC has been increased from Rs.1000 crore to Rs.1500 crore to provide loans to SCs for taking up self-employment. · First ever the National Conference of Dalit Entrepreneurs organized by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on 29th December, 2015to discuss the special need of these entrepreneurs. Further, to strengthen provisions to check atrocities against Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes, amendments in the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, have been made and new Act has come into force w.e.f. 26.1.2016. New provisions will play very significant role in Social Empowerment of Schedule Cast. The Parliament passed the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order (Amendment) Act 2015 last year by virtue of which new communities were incorporated in the list of Scheduled Castes of Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and now they will also get all benefits of the schemes being run f