20,000 Crore For Dalit Bandhu In Next Budget: KCR

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today said that the government would allocate Rs. 20,000 crore in the next budget for the implementation of the Dalit Bandhu scheme in Telangana.

He made this announcement during the ongoing Assembly session while replying to a discussion on the implementation of the scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, KCR emphasized that the scheme was not introduced merely for implementation in the Huzurabad Assembly constituency. He told the house that the scheme had taken birth in the state in 1986, and that he had organised a Dalitha Chaitanya program for the implementation of the scheme in Siddipet district.

He had actually wanted to implement the Dalit Bandhu scheme as soon as he came into power for the second consecutive term, but the scheme, which was originally supposed to be launched last year, was delayed due to the spread of the coronavirus, KCR claimed.

He said that the government had plans to implement the scheme in all 119 Assembly constituencies of the state, but that the scheme was still at the initial stage of implementation, and that the government would go ahead after addressing any problems that cropped up. It was as part of the gradual rolling out that the government had selected four mandals from four SC Assembly constituencies of the state for the implementation of the scheme on a pilot basis, he claimed, and announced that the scheme would be implemented in 100 Assembly constituencies by the end of March 2022.

He added that the scheme would require Rs. 1.8 lakh crore for its complete implementation, and reiterated that none of the beneficiaries of the scheme would need to pay back the amount.

He claimed that his party would come into power once again in the state after the next Assembly elections, and said that his next government would continue to implement the scheme even after retaining power.

"We plan to spend funds to develop the BCs, the STs and all others deprived of development," the CM added.