National Backward Classes Welfare Association has staged fasting protests in all district and mandal headquarters across the State on Tuesday to demand ₹20,000 as relief assistance to all families of artisans or community-based vocations since they had lost livelihoods due to COVID-19 lockdown for the last three months.
Speaking at a protest staged in BC Bhavan here, president of the association R. Krishnaiah said due to lack of livelihood activity for the last three months the families of those carrying out community-based professions were facing the threat of hunger and only a relief assistance of ₹20,000 per family would help them sustain and survive the difficult times.
Along with Mr. Krishnaiah, State president Y. Satyanarayana, youth association president N. Venkatesh, general secretary G. Satyam, T.R. Chander, G. Shanker, N. Srinivas and others participated in the fast. Associations such as Gowda, Yadava, Kuruma, Mudiraj, Munnurukapu, Vishwabrahmana, Rajaka, Nayibrahmana, Meru, Medari, Matsyakara Sanghams’ leaders also expressed their solidarity with the protest by joining it.
Other States
Mr. Krishnaiah mentioned that neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh governments had already extended assistance of ₹10,000 each to the families of such communities and Gujarat and West Bengal governments had announced a package of ₹20,000 per family. It was unfortunate that the Telangana government which was ahead of extending welfare measures on many counts did not think about these communities so far.
He requested Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to extend the assistance of ₹20,000 each to the families of these community-based professions at the earliest since the businesses based on those professions were not running properly as most of the people were restricted to homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Patronage to artisans such as hair-dressers, tailors, goldsmiths and several others had come down drastically due to COVID-19 conditions.
Proposals to Centre
Stating that a lion’s share of the Centre’s ₹21 lakh crore stimulus package was for self-employment schemes, cottage and small scale industries, Mr. Krishnaiah said the State government was required to send proposals to Centre to get the 9 lakh pending applications cleared for financial assistance/loans in the B.C. Corporation and 12 other B.C. Federations.
He pointed out that 3.3 lakh applications were taken from the artisans in the community-based professions in 2014-15 and another 5.77 lakh applications were taken in 2016-17 but not even a single applicant was given loans. He requested the State government to respond on priority basis or else the communities would be left with no other choice than taking up protests from the village-level.