Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao seems to be now seeking a major shift towards his image towards daliths by focusing attention towards SC welfare programmes. It may be recalled that the opposition has been accusing him as `anti-dalith’ pointing out that he had violated his own promise of making a dalit as first chief minister of the Telangana state.
He also realised that the failure in proper implementation of his promise to provide 3 acres of land to each dalith family and alleged diversion of SC Sub Plan funds causing discontent among those sections.
Conducting a review on SC/ST Sub Plan and other welfare programmes, he has instructed the officials concerned to spend more funds over and above the funds allocated based on their population figures. He also said that it is not enough to spend more funds other than allocated to these sections but implementation should be so transparent that the SC and ST sections should have confidence that the government is standing by them.
He cautioned that unless they are informed about the funds allocated and how they were spent, these sections will get a feeling that the government is neglecting them,. Asking the officials to review the implementation of the Sub Plan on a monthly basis and Ministers to conduct the meetings every three months, the Chief Minister said that he would review it once in six months.
Since the State government has declared a war on poverty, he said that it has given top priority to the welfare schemes and the officers concerned should concentrate more the SCs and STs who are economically backward. He claimed that SCs and STs are getting more share than under the Sub Plan, and this should continue.
Expressing concern over prevailing conditions in Social Welfare hostels, he said that the situation in the hostels should change. “We need better facilities, toilets and rooms. There should be an increase in the mess bills and cosmetic charges paid to the students. Overseas scholarships should be given to everyone, there is no need to have any limit”, he added.
