Ragula Sagar and Nerella Sekhar, two Dalit bandhu beneficiaries of Chandurthi in Rajanna Sircilla district, are steering ahead on the path of entrepreneurial journey by combining their driving skills with entrepreneurial qualities.
Thanks to the Dalit Bandhu scheme, the duo turned into owners-cum-drivers by hiring out a bus, which they purchased under the Dalit Bandhu scheme, to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) and earning substantial income.
The duo had purchased a brand-new bus at a cost of ₹42 lakh in January this year by spending ₹20 lakh money they had received under the Dalit Bandhu scheme and raising the balance amount through a bank loan.
They had hired out the bus to the TSRTC through the tender process under the public transport entity’s hire scheme for four years. Thus, they started their entrepreneurial journey moving into the top gear.
“Dalit Bandhu scheme is driving change in the lives of poor people like us and propelling us to chase our entrepreneurial dreams,” said Mr. Sagar.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said: “I had returned to my village from Saudi Arabia where I had worked as a driver a few years ago. I took to driving private vehicles to eke out a living. But the income was too meagre to support my family, including my parents, wife and two children,” he recalled. “Now I am getting an assured income of ₹30,000 per month by working as driver-cum-joint owner of the hired bus.”
“The Dalit Bandhu scheme, the brainchild of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, provided me the rare opportunity to pursue the path of financial self-reliance and contribute my bit to the public transport entity,” he said, thanking Collector Anuraag Jayanti for his support in enabling him choose the viable unit and becoming proud joint owner of a bus.
