Rs. 500 crore allocated for the Chief Minister's Dalit Empowerment Programme: Telangana CM

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday announced that a sum of Rs. 500 crore would be allocated for the Chief Minister's Dalit Empowerment Programme in addition to the Rs. 1,000 crore already earmarked in Telangana state budget for 2021-22.

Under this scheme, the monetary benefit would be reached to the SC families' bank accounts just as the way farmers under Rythu Bandhu and the beneficiaries under Asara were getting their subsidy and pension amounts.

The chief minister, presiding over an all-party meeting attended by the TRS Congress, CPI and CPM, said that the welfare of the SCs was always uppermost in his mind and that he would go to any length to improve their living standards. The BJP boycotted the meeting, accusing the government of not being sincere in the implementation of the promises it had made for the welfare of the SC.

"In the next three to four years, the government will spend up to Rs. 35,000 crore to Rs. 40,000 crore for the SC/ST  welfare," the chief minister said and pointed out that the opposition parties should strengthen the government's hands as it endeavours to empower the SCs. The SC youths should be able to fill the jobs that are being created in the industrial and technology sectors. "They were till now dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. But the situation was fast-changing," the chief minister said.

The chief minister said that the problems that the SCs faced in cities are different from those in the rural areas and the government should strive to find custom-made solutions for them.

Those who took part in the meeting included Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Former minister Motkupalli Narasimhulu, CPM and CPI state secretaries Thammineni Veerabhadram, Chada Venkata Reddy respectively and MIM MLA Sayyed Ahmad Khadri.