Why is it in the news?

• PM Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Utthan evam Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan (PM-SURAJ) portal for providing credit support to entrepreneurs from disadvantaged sections of society.
• The launch event saw the Prime Minister disbursing around ₹720 crore worth of credit to 1 lakh beneficiaries from Scheduled Caste, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes communities, and Safai Karamcharis across 500 districts.

More about the news

• The PM-SURAJ portal serves as a one-stop point for applying and monitoring the progress of all loan and credit schemes available to disadvantaged sections, under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and its departments.
• Credit support will be facilitated through banks, NBFC-MFIs, and other organizations across the country.
• PM Modi stressed on the importance of welfare schemes reaching Dalit, Backward, and Deprived communities, highlighting his emotional connection with them and their crucial role in achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
• He highlighted employment and self-employment opportunities for youth from deprived sections through schemes like Mudra Yojna, Standup India, Venture Capital Fund, and Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission.