The State Government has speeded up implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme across Telangana by asking the District Collectors to select 100 beneficiaries in 118 Assembly constituencies so that it could be grounded in March, as announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Minister for Scheduled Castes Development Koppula Eshwar, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and SC Corporation Chairman E. Srinivas held a video conference with the District Collector and other officials concerned from Karimnagar, Hyderabad and Medchal, respectively. Special Chief Secretary (Finance) K. Ramakrishna Rao, Secretary (SC Development) and CMO Rahul Bojja, Managing Director of SC Corporation M. Karunakar also participated in the virtual meet.
The District Collectors were told to identify the beneficiaries by taking family as a unit in the 118 constituencies. The scheme is already being implemented in Huzurabad constituency in Karimnagar district, where 17,035 beneficiary families were selected already, and at Vasalamarri gram panchayat in Alair constituency in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district with 72 beneficiary families.
Further, the scheme has been sanctioned to Chintakani mandal in Madhira constituency in Khammam district, Tirumalagiri mandal of Thungathurthi constituency in Suryapet, Charagonda mandal spread in Achampet and Kalwakurthy constituencies in Nagarkurnool and Nizamsagar mandals of Jukkal constituency in Kamareddy district. The government has already released ₹100 crore for Chintakani mandal and ₹50 crore each for the other three mandals for implementing Dalit Bandhu.
Officials stated that budget release orders were issued for ₹1,191.80 crore to the respective District Collectors for implementing the scheme for 100 beneficiaries each in 118 constituencies. Besides, ₹2,257.6 crore was released for implementation of the scheme in Huzurabad constituency and Vasalamarri gram panchayat.
Giving the details, the officials said ₹1,686.46 crore had been released to 17,035 beneficiaries in Huzurabad in addition to transfer of ₹34.07 crore as emergency revolving fund. Similarly, ₹7.13 crore has been released to 72 beneficiaries and another ₹0.14 crore as revolving fund in case of Vasalamarri.
Economic activity schemes for a total of 1,004 SC beneficiary families have been grounded so far including 947 in Huzurabad and 57 in Vasalamarri.
