CM rolls out Dalit uplift plan
11,900 Dalit families will get `10 lakh each
An all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao unanimously decided to provide `10 lakh financial assistance to eligible families under the CM Dalit Empowerment Programme.
In the first phase, 100 families from each of the 119 Assembly constituencies, totalling 11,900 Dalits, will be given the assistance. For this, it was decided to earmark `1,200 crore Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the all-party meeting was convened to make them stakeholders to stand unitedly by the Dalits, remove any feelings of inferiority and to bring in qualitative change in their thought process and attitude.
The marathon meeting that lasted for 11 hours was attended by representatives of Dalits, several Dalit MPs, MLAs, MLCs, intellectuals, senior leaders from various political parties and others.
“It is a blot on Indian society that Dalits are subjected to social and economic discrimination. This is deeply bothering all of us. The TS government has introduced several schemes and programmes for the development and welfare of Dalits. It has attained qualitative change in agriculture and education sectors. But with an aim to set the Dalit families who are under the poverty line move towards development, CM Dalit Empowerment Programme is being introduced at a cost of `1,200 crore,” said the Chief Minister.
He said it was the responsibility of the government to move the society forward just like rearing of a child and any laxity would lead to a great loss to the future generations and the rulers would be held responsible for this. He said from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Dalits were socially and economically exploited classes. This trend should be done away with, he said.
“The government is ready to implement phased wise action plan to remove social and economic problems of Dalits,” the CM said and urged the allparty meeting to give suggestions, above party politics, to make Dalits move forward in society with confidence.
He said, “7,79,902 SC farmers have 13,58,000 acres of agricultural land. We have to find out of this how much is assigned land. How much is still there and how much lost? We have to get the statistics and identify lands, which have no water facility, and lands having no other facility. If need be, the state machinery should spend 10 to 15 days to compile statistics on SC lands. They should keep ready the economic action plan. The government is ready to spend `35,000 crore to `40,000 crore for the next to three to four years on this.”
He said with projects like Kaleshwaram, there was an increase in agriculture-based employment. In urban areas, Dalit youth explored possibilities in industrial and technology sectors. Solutions should be found separately for the problems of Dalits living in rural and urban areas separately.
He said sanitation workers would be given a salary model like the PRC as was requested by the all-party meeting. He said the possibility of reservations to Dalits in the private sector would be examined.
Through the Dalit Empowerment Programme, beneficiaries would be given assistance without bank guarantees. Plans would be prepared following the policy of Centre for Dalit Studies for the their welfare and development.
SC welfare minister Koppula Eswar, Rythu Bandhu Samithi chairman Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, MPs Venkatesh Netha, P. Ramulu, P. Dayakar, MLCs M.S. Prabhakar Rao, D. Rajeshwar Rao, Goreti Venkanna, MLAs Balka Suman, D. Chinnaiah, Hanmanth Shinde, S. Ravishankar, Rasamayi Balkishan, Kranthi Kiran Chanti, K. Manik Rao, K. Yadaiah, M. Anand, G. Sayanna, G. Balraju, V.M. Abraham, Ch Lingaiah, G. Kishore Kumar, T. Rajaiah, A. Ramesh, Congress Legislature Party chairman Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, S. Venkata Veeraiah, Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri, CPM state secretary T. Veerabhadram, CPI state secretary Ch Venkat Reddy, former ministers Kadiam Srihari participated in the meeting.