The Steady Friend that’s Helping Telangana’s Dalits Become Owners of Enterprises

Only eight years into its birth and the state of Telangana has shown impressive growth, while a slew of welfare measures has immensely benefited the general population.

The latest in the welfare measures is a scheme for Dalits, called the ‘Dalit Bandhu Scheme’, which was launched to take Dalit families from their present situation to higher levels.

The Karimnagar District, under the leadership of its DM, R.V. Karnan, has been at the forefront of implementing this scheme in the Huzurabad Assembly constituency, resulting in a success rate of 95 per cent.

n an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Karnan shared details about the successful implementation of the scheme in his district.

DALIT BANDHU SCHEME

Even after 75 years of Independence, Dalits continue to face social and economic hardships. To alleviate their conditions, the CM of Telangana held a brainstorming session with several leaders and economists, and the outcome was the announcement of the Dalit Bandhu scheme in 2021.

The programme calls for providing each Dalit household with the one-time financial assistance of Rs. 10 lakhs. They were expected to launch a business or acquire a piece of property that generates ongoing income. Telangana has 17 lakh Dalit families, while Huzurabad, where the scheme was first introduced, has 19,000 Dalit households. The government decided to gradually cover all Dalit families with an annual budget of Rs. 30,000 to 40,000 crores.

Explaining in detail, Mr. Karnan said, “It started as a pilot project in our district where we provided around 18,000 Dalit families with Rs. 10 lakhs. This money was transferred to the special Dalit Bandhu bank accounts of each family. The main feature is that, neither can they withdraw cash from these accounts, nor can they use ATM or Net Banking, but they can transfer money to third parties with our approval.”

Whenever someone files a plan for a small business or industrial setup, the administration approves it, and the funds get transferred to the third party selling the machinery, car, or equipment. Additionally, it allows the administration to monitor the funding allocated for their well-being.

Courtesy : Indian master minds

Note: This news piece was originally published in indianmasterminds.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights.