KCR proposes special growth engine project for SC welfare

Hyderabad, June 21 : In a high level review meeting on the development of Scheduled Castes in the State of Telangana and to draw a strategy Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao envisaged a special growth engine project for the upliftment and economic development of the SC community.

The Chief Minister suggested that the budgetary allocation for the SC welfare should be transferred to the SC Welfare Department for implementing the project. He said that the officers concerned should think of schemes to benefit the SC families exclusively. There has to be a segmentation of Pakka Rural Dalit, Semi Urban Dalit and Pakka Urban Dalit to get benefited under the welfare programmes. The Chief Minister wanted that farming dalit to be allotted 3 acres of land under the scheme.

The Chief Minister instructed the officers to formulate a policy in the areas of farming and other aspects of SC welfare. He has reminded his slogan of “Telangana needs to be reinvented and reoriented.” He also suggested that once in every three months the officers concerned should get the evolution reports on the implementation of the scheme. There has to be flow of information from Hyderabad to village and village to Hyderabad. The officials should examine whether the land that is being allotted to the farming dalits, has all the required facilities and should obtain a report on a regular basis to rectify the deficiencies. For this either mandal or municipality should be made as a unit and should be headed by an officer from the welfare department, he said.

KCR preferred that there needs to be a hierarchical structure for implementation of the land purchase scheme. The scheme consists of identifying the needy, providing three acres of land with water facility and providing other requirements like bore well, electricity, bore motor etc. The government has to provide one year investment as per the specific requirements of the farmers adequately addressing the variations from district to district and from place to place.

The Chief Minister also suggested that the agriculture department needs to be geared up for its assistance in the areas of water testing, soil testing and similar other aspects.

KCR also envisaged the idea of consolidation of land in dalit segment. MLAs, MPs, Ministers are to be involved in propagating, educating the scheme and adopting the areas. The dalit educated youth are also to be involved in the development activities that government has taken up. The Chief Minister desired that the welfare scheme should take on a pilot basis at the earliest. This requires identifying Dalit Basties one each for a mandal to begin with on pilot basis and preferably such basties should be those where the schemes could easily be implemented successfully.

The hierarchy should be up to the district and mandals. Dalit sabhas are to be organized in dalit bastis to cross check the datas developed by authorities in implementing the schemes. The Chief Minister desired that perfect data base on dalit communities in all aspects should be developed and should be online by September.

The Government would come out with announcement of allocating budgetary provisions by September. The money allocated for the welfare of SC’s shall not be lapsed at any cost and shall carry forward to next year. The required rules and regulations are to be framed by authorities. The programme implementation shall be monitored by Chief Ministers Office. On successful implementation of the scheme on pilot basis the Chief Minister would like to approach the Prime Minister to provide additional funds from government of India welfare budget.

The Chief Minister suggested that a careful segmentation has to be done in respect of locations like Rural Dalit, Urban Dalits. This should also address age wise segmentation like one to twenty, 20-45 years and 45 years and above by collecting data as to what the person in the concerned area are doing. For those who are other than farming community SC dalits, KCR suggested that self employment schemes could be thought of like providing funds for buying an auto, or running a poultry industry or a lathe machine or a hotel and so on. Without linking to the bank the government should purchase directly and provide funds to these from SC welfare budget. This would remove rural poverty among dalits said the Chief Minister.

KCR also suggested that a special government brigade with about 500 community officers including those drawn from dalit communities is to be formed for implementation of the scheme. The scheme has to be a unique one and provide assets to dalit.

Under the land purchase and and allotment scheme those dalits who are land less totally would be considered to begin with on top priority and will be extended susequently. The land would however be not salable.

Finance Minister Etela Rajendar, Rajya Sabha Member K Kesava Rao, Principal Secretary Rural Development Raymond Peter, Principal Secretary Welfare Radha, Principal Secretary Finance Nagi Reddy, Advisor to Telangan Govt. Rama Laxman, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Narsinga Rao, Prof. Ghantachakrapani and Mallepalli Laxmiah attended the review meeting.  INN