Karimnagar: In a welcome development, some Dalit families that are financially well settled have decided not to avail the Telangana Dalit Bandhu scheme that provides a Rs 10 lakh corpus to people from the community to establish businesses.
At least five Dalit families in Huzurabad Assembly constituency, where the scheme is being implemented as a pilot project, have turned role models for others overnight after they informed visiting officials conducting the Dalit Bandh survey that they would much rather have some other Dalit family enjoy the benefits since they were well settled in life.
The five Dalits include two retired employees and two working employees. What is even more interesting is that four members of one particular Dalit family, all eligible for the scheme, said “No, thank you” to the officials who visited their residence to gather data.
Karre Narsimhaswamy, a retired headmaster, and his three sons Praveen Kumar, Kiran Kumar and Naveen Kumar decided not avail the scheme and informed the officials about their decision. Narsimhaswamy and his wife Anasuya are retired government teachers and live in the Social Welfare Colony in Huzurabad town.
While Praveen Kumar is a software engineer in Hyderabad, Kiran Kumar works as senior divisional engineer with the Railways. Naveen Kumar is a contract lecturer in Mulugu and his wife is a government teacher.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Narsimhaswamy said he knows the problems faced by Dalits since he himself had faced a lot of trouble early on in his life. Stating that he was an Ambedkarite, he said Ambedkar had advised well settled people in the community to help others. “I and my wife are getting a good amount of pension. Our sons are well settled with good jobs. The scheme is not for me and my sons. If we give up our claim on the scheme, other more deserving Dalit families will reap the benefits under the scheme. Hence, we decided not to avail the scheme,” he said.
Sotala Mohan Rao, a retired engineer, also decided not to avail the benefits under the scheme. Mohan Rao worked as assistant engineer in Panchayat Raj department. “I got a good education and a dignified government job because of Dr BR Ambedkar. I am leading a comfortable life since I get sufficient pension. Scores of Dalits are leading miserable lives due to lack of financial support. It is they who really deserve the scheme,” he said.
He appreciated the efforts of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for introducing Dalit Bandhu scheme that would change the lives of Dalits in the State.
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