Dalit Bandhu scheme helped trio escape poverty trap

Kolli Babu, Somapogu Gopi and Gandham Balakrishna pooled in the money they received under 'Dalit Bandhu scheme' to buy an earthmover and construction equipment

Khammam: Once daily wage labourers, these three men are now proud owners of an earthmover and are flourishing financially, courtesy Dalit Bandhu.

Kolli Babu, Somapogu Gopi and Gandham Balakrishna pooled in the money they received under the scheme to buy an earthmover and construction equipment. Earlier, Babu, a labourer, used to double up as a tailor to make both ends meet, while Balakrishna worked as a painter and Gopi as a sanitation worker.

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Belonging to Railway Colony of Nagulavancha village in Chintakani mandal, they used to earn Rs 400-500 a day, that too not on a regular basis. They applied for Dalit Bandhu and received the unit on May 14, 2022. For the past 11 months, they each have been earning an average of Rs 40,000-50,000 per month by engaging the machine in construction and farm work. They have also become employers as they hired a driver to operate the earthmover.

“Within 15 days of receiving the unit, we excavated 4,000 trips of soil. We also executed the Mission Bhagiratha pipeline work. If the season is good, we earn over Rs 3,000 a day. We never expected that we could hire someone to work for us,” Babu told Telangana Today, adding that they were getting work from neighbouring districts of Nalgonda and Suryapet, and NTR district in Andhra Pradesh as well.

“Had the Dalit Bandhu scheme not been introduced, we would have remained labourers trapped in poverty. The scheme has offered us an escape from poverty,” they say. “Since 75 years of Independence, no political party or leader has ever conceived a scheme like Dalit Bandhu to brighten up the lives of Dalits,” they say, adding that they are now leading a life with dignity.