Dalit Bandhu scheme: With eye on by-poll, TS allots Rs. 500 cr to Huzurabad

The Telangana Schedule Castes Cooperative Development Corporation Limited (TSCCDC Ltd) released the fund after the Karimnagar district collector submitted a proposal to implement the Dalit Bandhu programme in Huzurabad constituency.

On 18 July, the state government had ordered the implementation of the Dalit Bandhu programme on a pilot basis in Huzurabad constituency after the Cabinet decision.

"The proposal of the district collector is approved and the VC and managing director, TSCCDC Ltd, Hyderabad, is hereby directed to release an amount of Rs. 500 crores from available funds to the district collector, Karimnagar district, for the implementation of "Telangana Dalit Bandhu" on a pilot basis in saturation mode," ordered Rahul Bojja, the secretary of the Schedule Caste department of the Telangana government.

Following this, that TSCCDCL released Rs. 500 crore on Monday.

With an eye on the by-election, the Telangana government decided to launch the Dalit Bandhu scheme in the Huzurabad constituency. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will transfer Rs. 500 crore into the bank accounts of 5,000 Dalit families in Huzurabad. Each family will receive Rs. 10 lakh.

It is pertinent to note that there will be a by-election in Huzurabad in the next few months after former health minister Eatala Rajender quit from the constituency. Mr. Rajender has meanwhile joined BJP and is likely to contest on a BJP ticket.

Earlier, in one of the biggest financial boosts for the Dalit community of Vasalamarri village that was adopted by KCR, the government had sanctioned Rs. 10 lakh each to 76 families on 5 August. This came a day after KCR visited the village.

The Chief Minister had said that over 13 lakh marginalized families will benefit under the Dalit Bandhu scheme across Telangana. He said at least 100 eligible families in all 119 Assembly constituencies in the state will receive benefits in the current year. From 2022, assistance to the remaining families will be transferred into their accounts in a phased manner.