Deccan Chronicle

KCR rolls out `5L insurance cover for Dalits

KCR ALSO promised to provide reservatio­ns to Dalits in allotment of businesses like liquor shops, rice mills, medical shops and fertiliser shops among others, to ensure their economic developmen­t.

- DC CORRESPOND­ENT

After announcing the new scheme Dalit Bandhu on the lines of Rythu Bandhu recently, Chief Minister K. Chandrashe­kar Rao on Monday promised yet another new scheme ‘Dalit Bima’ on the lines of Rythu Bima, to provide `5 lakh free insurance coverage to Dalit families.

He also promised to provide reservatio­ns to Dalits in allotment of businesses like liquor shops, rice mills, medical shops and fertiliser shops among others, to ensure their economic developmen­t.

Rao held a day-long orientatio­n programme on Dalit Bandhu scheme at Pragathi Bhavan. About 430 Dalit leaders, two men and two women from each gram panchayat and each ward in municipali­ty in Huzurabad constituen­cy, were invited for the meeting.

Rao held an interactiv­e

session with Dalit participan­ts and took their feedback on how to implement Dalita Bandhu scheme effectivel­y on a pilot basis in Huzurabad Assembly constituen­cy and how to extend the scheme to the entire state later.

“The government will provide financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to each of the eligible beneficiar­ies through the Dalit Bandhu scheme and help them take up a business or profession of their choice,” Rao said.

He directed officials to identify other areas like agricultur­al machinery such as power tillers, harvesters, rice planters, auto-rickshaws, tractor, poultry, tent house, dairy industry, oil mill, flour mill, cement and brick industry, building material shops, steel, cement, photograph­y and videograph­y, cell phone repair shops, mobile tiffin centres, hotels, cloth emporiums, furniture shops, and a wide range of selfemploy­ment, industrial and business sectors, that had potential for economic developmen­t of Dalits.

He stated that Dalit Bandhu was not just another government scheme, but a movement for empowermen­t of the Dalits aimed at bringing a qualitativ­e change in the society. He noted that the future of the Dalit Bandhu depended upon its success in Huzurabad constituen­cy and hence, it was important that all the Dalit representa­tives from the constituen­cy should work with commitment and coordinati­on to ensure its success. If the Dalit Bandhu programme was successful, it would pave the way for the economic developmen­t of not only Dalits, but also Telangana State, he said.

He stressed the need to improve mutual trust and cooperatio­n within the Dalit community. The Chief Minister suggested that Dalits should end personal feuds and withdraw cases that they filed against each other in police stations across the state. He wanted them to develop mutual brotherhoo­d that would pave the way to collective success of Dalit community.

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