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Governor of Nagaland P B Acharya with Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Government of India, Ramdas Athawale at Raj Bhavan Kohima on February 18, 2019. Image courtesy: PRO, Raj Bhavan

Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale, who also heads Republican Party of India (Athawale) will be launching the party in Nagaland at Dimapur on Tuesday.

On his maiden visit to Nagaland, he will also announce the RPI (A) Nagaland state office bearers.

He said his party is also supporting scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities and OBCs and all high class people, according to reports.

He said RPI (A) party felt that reservation should also be given to the high class people because in high class community, all people are not rich families.

He said as Member of Parliament for three times, he demanded that reservation should be given to the high class people in education and for availing government facilities.

Now, he said, the NDA government has given 10 per cent reservation for higher class community.

Earlier Athawale met the state’s social welfare department officials in Kohima on Monday and apprised on various welfare schemes for old age persons and persons with disabilities.

Later in the day, addressing a press conference at Raj Bhavan in Kohima, Athawale said that the NDA government wants to bring good development in the north-eastern states for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been engaging union ministers to visit north eastern states on several occasions.

He said in Nagaland, about 51,750 persons are getting old age pension of Rs 300 per month.

Now, the Government of India has announced Rs 3000 per month for the old age pension.

Old age population in Nagaland stands at about Rs. 1. 56 lakh and disability population is about 21,631.

The union minister also informed that four years back, the ministry of social justice and empowerment had organized about 8000 camps for the persons with disabilities across the country.

He said similar programme was organized in Mon but due to inclement weather he could not land there.

Athawale informed that about 600 disabled people availed wheelchairs and other equipments in that camp.

He said the population of disabled people all over India is over 2 crores as per 2011 census and also stated that Narendra Modi is also very serious and fully supporting disabled people and now the government has increased reservation for disabled people to four per cent from three per cent.

Through Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, he said about 26 crore people in the country have availed loan.

The union minister also assured that the NDA government will give its support to the PDA government in Nagaland for the development of the state.

On the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in India, he said that BJP led NDA government will come back to power at the centre and Narendra Modi will become Prime Minister again.

He said that NDA government has done good work for the people in the last four and haft years.

He was optimistic that out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in north-eastern states, BJP will definitely win about 20-21 seats.