UDUPI, Oct 14: With social and financial equality, great strides can be made in the nation' s development, said Social Welfare Minister Kagodu Thimappa.

He was speaking after inaugurating the new PUC Girls School at Brahmavar near here on Saturday. The school has been jointly constructed by the zilla panchayat and the Backward Classes and Minorities Commission. He regretted that the pass percentage of the hostelites in the state had not crossed 50 per cent.

He said that the government will grant Rs 5 lakh for the construction of Ambedkar Bhavans and for construction of Khadi Mahal in every Vidhana Sabha constituency. The remaining Rs 5 lakh has to be collected locally, he added.

The minister said that the government will give financial aid to 10 families in each gram panchayat to start small scale industries.Lok Sabha MP Vinaykumar Sorake, who was the chief guest said that all parties setting aside their political differences have put forth a proposal to make Brahmavar as the taluk center. He urged the minister to put pressure on the government in this regard.

Mr Sorake pointed that the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had proposed to set up a power plant in Brahmavar.