Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday ruled out going back on the Dalit Bandhu scheme and said it will be extended to all the 119 Assembly constituencies in the state by March 2022.
The Chief Minister said that the scheme will be implemented on a saturation basis in Huzurabad Assembly constituency and four mandals in four SC reserved constituencies that have already identified in the state.
Later, the scheme will be extended to all other Assembly constituencies where at least 100 Dalit families will be covered during the current fiscal (2021-22) by March 31, 2022. He promised to release funds for the scheme soon so that it is extended to the entire state by March.
Rao reviewed the implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme with collectors of all districts, ministers, party MLAs, MLCs amd senior officials of various departments at Pragathi Bhavan on Saturday.
"Dalit Bandhu has been launched for socio-economic development of the Dalit community who have been discriminated against for generations. This will help them live with self-respect. The Rs 10 lakh provided under the scheme is a grant. It will not only financially support the Dalit families, but also become a social investment and help in further strengthening the state economy," the CM added.
The Chief Minister stated that District Collectors will be given a free hand for effective implementation of the scheme. However, he wanted them to understand the mindset of the Scheduled Castes who were under the impression that they were being deceived for several generations.
He asked Collectors to explore all possible avenues for business and employment opportunities to improve the financial condition of the SC families. He asked them to seek advice from the Dalit intellectuals, retired employees and others who were striving for Dalit empowerment.
