The state government has allocated 23 per cent of the budget for the SCs who constitute 15.5 per cent of the population, said SC and Minority welfare minister Koppula Eshwar. Mr Eshwar, ministers Satyavathi Rathod and Gangula Kamalakar were speaking in the Legislative Council on the empowerment and welfare of the poor in the state.
Mr Eshwar said demanding Dalit Bandhu for all at one time is not possible and is an unreasonable demand. There are 17 lakh Dalit families in the state. It would take 17 years to cover every family. For minorities, the state government is taking every measure from carrying out repairs to mosques to providing financial assistance in education.
Tribal welfare minister Satyavathi Rathod said the state government is contemplating introducing preschool education as many parents are sending their infants to private pre-schools eyeing English medium education. Books were prepared especially for the purpose. She said the Telangana government for the first time has started an exclusive motor vehicle training centre for women. “Every section of the society in need is being taken care of by the BRS government,” she said.
BC welfare minister Gangula Kamalakar said one should not have doubts over the Rs. 1 lakh assistance to the BC artisans as it will be a continuous process. Of the total 5.25 lakh applied for the assistance, a total of 4.11 lakh were found to be eligible. They are being provided assistance in a phased manner and the state government has already released Rs. 400 crore for the purpose.
MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy condemned the remarks made by MLC T Jeevan Reddy that colleges are holding the certificates of students for want of fee reimbursement funds. “It is wrong to say that as the state government has released all the dues under the scheme. It is not good to mislead the people,” he said.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao