Dalit Bandhu beneficiaries stage dharna for second installment in Karimnagar

The beneficiaries, who came to the district headquarters to submit a representation during the Prajavani programme, staged a protest, stating officials were not releasing the amount

Karimnagar: Dalit Bandhu beneficiaries from Huzurabad constituency on Monday staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate here demanding the release of the second installment of the scheme.

The beneficiaries, who came to the district headquarters to submit a representation during the Prajavani programme, staged a protest, stating officials were not releasing the amount even three months after the proceedings were issued by the State government for completion of grounding of units with the second installment. As the amount has not been released, they were facing troubles to run units established with the first installment, they said, asking the Collector to take the initiative to release the installment.

---

After 13 months of struggle by the beneficiaries, the State government had on January 27 issued orders unfreezing Dalit Bandhu accounts, which were frozen soon after the Congress government came to power in December 2023. The government had instructed for grounding of units with Rs 324.75 crore pertaining to 9,937 beneficiaries under Dalit Bandhu-I and Rs.9.88 crore pertaining to 471 beneficiaries under DB-II.

Though the government gave its nod, the money was not released due to the Graduates and Teachers MLC election code. Even after that, beneficiaries were unable to withdraw the amount from their accounts. Enquiry about grounding and functioning of the units sanctioned in the first phase was stated to be the reason for the stalemate. It is learnt that a few beneficiaries had closed their units due to various reasons. The government was enquiring into that too.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Dalit Bandhu Sadana Samithi member Kalukuri Naresh said though the government issued orders unfreezing Dalit Bandhu accounts on January 27, it had not been implemented due to MLC election code. When they met Collector Pamela Satpathy after the model code was lifted, she had informed them about the enquiry into units grounded in the first phase, he said.

Naresh wanted the government to release the second installment without delay since it would be further delayed if the local body elections code came into force.