Uncertainty grows over implementation of Rajiv Yuva Vikasam in Telangana

Fifteen months after its launch, the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme remains unimplemented, leaving 16 lakh applicants in uncertainty. With no official update and Telangana facing financial constraints, concerns are growing over whether the flagship self-employment initiative will be rolled out.

Hyderabad: Fifteen months after its formal launch, the Congress government is yet to implement the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme, raising concerns among unemployed youth over whether the flagship self-employment initiative will ever take off. With no visible progress on the ground, many applicants fear the scheme could join the growing list of promises made by the government that are yet to be fulfilled.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had formally launched the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme on the Assembly premises on March 17 last year. The government had announced that the scheme would provide self-employment opportunities to five lakh youth with a total outlay of Rs 6,000 crore.

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Under the proposal, financial assistance ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh was to be extended under four categories. The scheme was designed to benefit around 4,000 to 5,000 SC, ST and BC beneficiaries in each Assembly constituency. Around 16 lakh youth had submitted applications seeking assistance. However, there has been no official update on the status of these applications.

During a review meeting last week, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed officials to implement all self-employment programmes under the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme and submit a detailed report on the proposed electric two-wheeler initiative.

Meanwhile, the BC Welfare Department had allocated Rs 1,750 crore for the scheme, of which Rs 50 crore was earmarked for retrofitting auto-rickshaws under the Core Urban Region Economy (CURE) initiative.

The proposal envisaged replacing petrol and diesel-powered auto-rickshaws with lithium-ion battery systems at an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 lakh per vehicle. Hyderabad alone has nearly two lakh auto-rickshaws.

However, after flagging off buses carrying Haj pilgrims in May, the Chief Minister announced that the State government would bear the entire cost of retrofitting every auto-rickshaw, creating uncertainty over the utilisation of funds earmarked under the scheme.

Against this backdrop, questions are being raised over the fate of the 16 lakh applications received under Rajiv Yuva Vikasam. Given Telangana’s strained financial position and the prolonged delay in implementation, many youngsters remain apprehensive about whether the scheme will be rolled out as promised.