Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has convened a preparatory meeting on Dalit Bandhu scheme at Pragathi Bhavan on September 13 to discuss the on-ground experience in Huzurabad Assembly constituency while implementing the scheme on a pilot basis, besides extending the scheme to four more mandals in four Assembly constituencies.
The Dalit Bandhu amount of Rs 10 lakh each was transferred into the bank accounts of over 12,000 beneficiaries in Huzurabad and 76 beneficiaries in Vasalamarri, the village adopted by the Chief Minister in Bhongir district.
But the amount is lying idle in the bank accounts as the beneficiaries failed to come out with a viable business plan on which they can invest the money. In some cases, officials rejected their business plan as the majority opted for purchasing tractors, cabs, dairy farms etc.
Officials are holding counselling sessions for beneficiaries to help them identify a suitable business unit by making use of the amount. Karimnagar district collector R.V. Karnan, who is entrusted with the task of implementing Dalit Bandhu in Huzurabad, has been invited for the Chief Minister’s meeting on Monday to share his experience.
During a door-to-door survey conducted by the officials in Huzurabad to help beneficiaries identify a suitable business plan, 3,200 beneficiaries opted for purchasing tractors while 3,400 opted for purchasing cars to run taxi business. Another 2,000 opted for setting up dairy units. Officials rejected their business plans on the ground that if the majority do the same business, it is not viable and they will incur losses.
Though Rs 10 lakh is lying in the accounts of all beneficiaries, they cannot withdraw the amount unless officials clear their business plans as the accounts are frozen.
The Chief Minister recently announced that in four more mandals - Chintakani in Madhira constituency, Tirmalgiri in Tungaturthy, Charakonda mandal in Achampet and Kalwakurty constituencies, Nizam Sagar in Jukkal constituency, Dalit Bandhu would be implemented on a pilot basis along with Huzurabad.
Ministers, ZP chairpersons and collectors from Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, and Nizamabad districts, MLAs from Madhira, Tungaturthy, Achampet, Kalwakurty, Jukkal constituencies, SC welfare minister Koppula Eswar, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, SC development secretary, Chief Minister’s secretary Rahul Bojja and finance secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao will participate in the meeting.
