Will fight for development of Dalits till my last breath: CM KCR
The Chief Minister reiterated that nothing was impossible, if pursued with perseverance. He pointed out that people of Telangana achieved their State with their perseverance and were developing under self-governance.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced that the State government will spend Rs 1.75 lakh crore in a phased manner for effective implementation of the Telangana Dalit Bandhu scheme. About Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore would be spent for the empowerment of two-three lakh Dalit families every year in this regard.
The Chief Minister vowed to fight for the comprehensive development of the Dalits in the State till the last drop of his blood, as he fought for Telangana State where he was ready to sacrifice his life. He called on the entire Telangana community to join hands for the socio-economic empowerment of the Dalits, eradicating the discrimination against them.
At a review meeting on the implementation of the Telangana Dalit Bandhu Scheme at Karimnagar district Collectorate on Friday, Chandrashekhar Rao said he took up the Dalit Chaitanya Jyothi programme in Siddipet as the then MLA and worked for the betterment of the Dalits.
Though the Dalit Bandhu scheme was supposed to be launched in May last year, it got delayed due to Corona. “Now is the time for ending the socio-economic discrimination against the Dalits and empower them to lead a dignified life. With support from all, let us make the Dalit Bandhu scheme a success and lead the way for the entire nation to follow,” he added.
The Dalits comprised about 18 per cent of the State population i.e. about 17 lakh Dalit families comprising 75 lakh population. The State government is keen to ensure that all Dalit families are covered under the scheme. Considering the growing population of Dalits, the Chief Minister announced that the State government would consider increasing the reservations for Dalits based on their population in future. He said the scheme was being implemented to make sure they too lead a qualitative life, just the way farmers benefited from the Rythu Bandhu scheme changing their lives for the better.
He urged the Dalit intellectuals and students to work for the development of Dalits and ensure that every eligible family gets benefited from the scheme. He wanted them to actively visit the eligible families in the Dalit habitations, find out about their needs and guide them to develop the community. He also instructed the officials to distribute pamphlets and other material among the prospective beneficiaries as well as explain about opportunities available for the beneficiaries. He said investments to the tune of Rs 1.75 lakh crore under the scheme, will provide employment to lakhs of people.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister directed the officials to take up the enumeration of Dalit families to find out whether the beneficiary was capable of handling the business or occupation of his/her choice. “If not, they should be guided to take up the work suitable to their capabilities. The officials should act as facilitators to guide the beneficiaries. They should obtain help from Dalit intellectuals, students and officials for effective implementation of the scheme,” he said, adding that an extensive meeting will be held in Hyderabad shortly again.
Chandrashekhar Rao suggested beneficiaries under Dalit Bandhu to opt for dairy farms and asked the Karimnagar Diary management to provide necessary support in setting them up in the Huzurabad constituency. He appreciated the Karimnagar Dairy management for coming forward to procure one lakh litres of milk additionally from the Dalit Bandhu beneficiaries. He also interacted with the leaders of various Dalit organisations, intellectuals and political leaders from the Dalit community, assuring them to incorporate their ideas in implementing the scheme effectively.
The meeting was attended by Ministers T Harish Rao, Koppula Eeshwar, and Gangula Kamalakar, along with legislators officials, bankers and also representatives of various Dalit organisations.
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