Marcellus D’Souza

Apr 14: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant paying tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 131st Birth Anniversary said an “Ambedkar Bhavan will be built within a year and that the Social Welfare department had identified land for the project”.

Speaking about the various social schemes announced by the Central government, Sawant said, “Beneficiaries should not rush to departments to avail of the various schemes but the departments will go to the people. Some have not received the benefits of these schemes. We will ensure the same within a year”.

Sawant felicitated Chadrakant Halankar, Laxman Bhikaji Gaonkar, Marayan Khurjevkar, Narsinh Parwar and Dilip Pednekar for their contribution towards social causes.

It may be recalled in December 2021, the Center had assured the Goa government of all help to distribute social empowerment schemes to old age homes and drug rehabilitation centers.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale after CM Pramod Sawant had assured the centre’s help in the construction of Ambedkar Bhavan. “Ambedkar Bhavan has been proposed at a vacant plot spread over 4,000 square metres in Penha-de- Franca village”, Athawale said while interacting with the media. “The state government is mulling the possibility of providing reservations earmarked for Scheduled Casts to those who have converted to Buddhism”, he added.

B. R. Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist and Dalit leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served as Law and Justice Minister in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru, and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement after renouncing Hinduism.