BCs May Be Included In Kalyana Lakshmi Scheme

Finance Minister Etela Rajender on Monday assured that the Telangana Government would consider extending the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme to girls belonging to the Backward Classes.

Replying to a query raised by MLA B Shobha and others during the Question Hour in the State Legislative Assembly, Etela said that the Government would soon convene a meeting with the elected representatives to discuss the issue of extending Kalyana Lakshmi to the BCs to provide financial assistance of Rs 51,000 to BC girls too at the time of their marriage.

He said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had understood the financial crises being faced by SC and ST parents in performing the marriages of their girls, and to alleviate the financial distresses in such families, had decided to sanction a one-time financial assistance of Rs 51,000 at the time of their marriages.

TRS MLA B Shobha advised that the local MLAs should be authorised to hand over cheques of Rs 25,000 under the scheme by attending the marriage.

MLAs R Balakishan (TRS), G Sainna (TDP), G Sunitha (Congress) also spoke on the issue.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA D K Aruna asked whether the government had shelved the Bangaru Talli scheme which was granted legal status by the previous government. In response, the Finance Minister said that old schemes were gone with the old State.

Reacting to this, Leader of the Opposition K Jana Reddy accused the minister of not giving proper replies and sat down in protest.

Intervening on the issue, Legislative Affairs Minister Harish Rao said that Aruna's question was not related to the subject being discussed in the House. He said that the Kalyana Lakshmi and Bangaru Talli schemes were different. He asked the members of the Opposition Parties to be more realistic than emotional.

There was no response when Etela asked whether the Congress was opposed to the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme. (INN)