Dalits in Telangana lose ‘bandhu’ in government
Despite tall promises of supporting Dalits, the Congress govt has failed to even respond to Dalit Bandhu applications that have remained pending at the SC Corporation for nearly year.
Hyderabad: The dalit community in Telangana were witnessing a revolutionary social transformation since August 2021. That was when they found a companion in the State government when former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao launched the Dalit Bandhu scheme. However, exactly three years later, they are without that ‘bandhu’.
The Congress government has apparently done all but announcing that the scheme has been scrapped. While there are no more fresh applications being accepted, those who were sanctioned the second installment under the scheme by the BRS government last year, now are struggling to run their units after the Congress government froze all Dalit Bandhu accounts.
Take the case of the erstwhile Medak district. Despite tall promises of supporting Dalits, the Congress government has failed to even respond to Dalit Bandhu applications that have remained pending at the SC Corporation in the district for nearly year. Till the elections, the previous BRS government had given Rs 10 lakh each to 440 beneficiaries across the district covering Sangareddy, Andole, Patancheru, Zaheerabad, and Narayankhed constituencies. The BRS government had also allotted another 1,100 units to each of these constituencies a few months before the elections when the MLAs received applications from poor Dalits in their respective constituencies. They forwarded 3,234 applications to the SC Corporation’s office in Sangareddy. A few more applications were pending at mandal-level offices. However, officials have not yet acted on any of these applications.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Former Andole MLA Chanti Kranthi Kiran said the Congress had promised to launch Dr Ambedkar Abhaya Hastham scheme by revamping the existing Dalit Bandhu and vowed to offer Rs 12 lakh as a one-time incentive. However, there was no move towards implementing the scheme so far. The Dalit Bandhu had yielded great results in Andole, an SC reserved constituency, he added.
No fresh beneficiaries in Adilabad
Adilabad: Officials of SC Corporation said no fresh proposals were submitted with regard to the second phase of Dalit Bandhu scheme, dashing hopes of weaker sections.
Officials said 249 units were sanctioned to Adilabad, while Nirmal district got 261 units. Similarly, 313 units were allocated to Mancherial district and 177 units were earmarked to Kumram Bheem Asifabad district under the first phase of the initiative. They stated the units were grounded by 100 percent. Adilabad SC Corporation Executive Director Manohar said that MLAs did not submit a list of beneficiaries under the second phase. Likewise, the government did not provide clarity on whether to prepare a list of beneficiaries or not, casting a shadow over the scheme. Consequently, the initiative has been put on the backburner.
Officials of the corporation from Nirmal, Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad district stated the same. They noted that the beneficiaries of the first edition were able to achieve financial empowerment with the help of the initiative.
As many as 1,000 economically weak Dalits were benefitted in erstwhile Adilabad district under the scheme. A whopping 383 beneficiaries ventured into the transport field, while 264 beneficiaries chose the agriculture, and allied sectors and 131 selected the field of retailing. A total of 128 beneficiaries picked service and 67 preferred manufacturing fields. The remaining entered various sectors including dairy, embroidery, tent house, etc.
Dalit Bandhu accounts still frozen in Karimnagar
There is no change in the frozen Dalit Bandhu bank accounts in Karimnagar. Beneficiaries, who were waiting for the second installment amount, are facing troubles to run their units since they are unable to do transactions after the government froze their scheme bank accounts in December. About 6,000 to 7,000 beneficiaries, who established various business units with the first installment amount, are eagerly waiting for the second installment.
According to SC corporation officials, about Rs 260 crore under the Dalit Bandhu scheme, with disbursals ranging from Rs.20,000 to Rs.7.5 lakh, was pending in Karimnagar. Incidentally, it was in erstwhile Karimnagar’s Huzurabad that former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao launched the scheme on August 16, 2021.
Initially, the scheme was implemented in Huzurabad assembly constituency on a pilot basis. It was later expanded to other parts of the State. It was implemented in an inclusive manner in Huzurabad segment wherein a total of 18,021 beneficiaries from different mandals including Huzurabad municipality (1,623), Huzurabad rural (2,720), Jammikunta municipality (2,264) Jammikunta rural (2,358), Veenavanka (3,009) and Ellandakunta (2,116) and 3,931 from Kamalapur of Hanamkonda district were selected for the scheme.
Rs 1784.79 crore were sanctioned to ground 16,149 units. 101 types of businesses were established under six sectors such as animal husbandry, agriculture allied, transport, manufacturing, service/supplies and retails. The highest of 5,853 beneficiaries had chosen 5,134 transport units. Of them 1,296 beneficiaries formed groups and purchased JCBs, DCMs, excavators, mini buses and tipper lorries. While 3,531 beneficiaries selected 2,827 agriculture allied units, 172 candidates opted for 164 manufacturing units followed by 2,708 retail units by 3,205 beneficiaries and 2,729 candidates chosen 2,708 service/supplies units.
Meanwhile, 206 units were grounded in Rajanna-Sircilla district and 477 dalits were sanctioned various units in Jagtial district. Beneficiaries, who chose small units such as kirana stores, mini supermarkets, welding shops, kangan halls and other units, were sanctioned Rs 5 lakh in the first installment. The second installment amount of Rs 5 lakh was also deposited in the accounts of beneficiaries. However, most of these accounts are frozen.
Officials said that based on the instructions from the State government, the District collector had on December 13, 2023 instructed bankers to freeze Dalit Bandhu accounts. Speaking to Telangana Today, SC Corporation Executive Director S Nagarjuna said status quo was being maintained on the frozen Dalit Bandhu accounts.
In Khammam
The previous BRS government had sanctioned units under Dalit Bandhu on saturation mode in Chintakani mandal in Madhira Assembly constituency in Khammam district benefitting 3462 beneficiaries. Of these, 1888 beneficiaries were given 100 percent benefit, while remaining 1574 persons were sanctioned units spending a part of Rs 10 lakh to ground the units and unspent funds remained in their accounts.
Likewise, 483 units were grounded in five Assembly constituencies of the district with 100 units in each constituency while 17 units were grounded in Kothagudem district’s Julurpad, which falls in Wyra constituency of Khammam district. The beneficiaries are seeking the government’s approval to utilise such unspent funds. After the funds were spent on the grounded units, an amount of Rs.28 crore was in beneficiaries’ accounts and Rs. 2 crore was in the account of district animal husbandry officer for purchasing buffalo and sheep units.
In addition to that, around 82 beneficiaries who were leftover and government employees identified, a survey was done and Rs 32 crore was sanctioned for grounding units. Funds required to ground the units were not credited into their accounts.
The previous government had issued GO 16 on September 30,2023 for implementing Dalit Bandhu on saturation basis in Sathupalli constituency as well as Bonakal mandal in Madhira Assembly constituency. In all 30,065 SC families were expected to be benefitted but the process of grounding units stopped with the release of the Assembly election schedule.
