Waiting For Centre's Decision On ST Quota Hike: TRS

Telangana Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav today said that the state government was awaiting the Centre's decision on the matter of increasing reservations for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community in the country.

Speaking at the Santh Sevalal Maharaj Jayanthi celebrations held at the Telangana Bhavan, he said that the state government had already passed a resolution in the Telangana Assembly to increase ST reservations and had urged the Centre to take the necessary steps to do so.

Yadav however claimed that the Centre was yet to take any action in this regard.

"The Centre is supposed to give suitable reservations to the ST community to enable it to develop itself in all aspects. It ought to take steps in the Parliament to increase reservations for the STs. Our government, guided by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is already implementing several schemes for their welfare. We are giving the tribal communities in our state huge funds so that they can improve their living standards. We have also given funds to the state's gurukuls to improve the educational outcomes of the STs. Further, we have always emphasised the need for preserving tribal heritage and culture," he said.

Labour Welfare and Employment Minister Ch Malla Reddy also echoed Yadav's thoughts, and said that the Telangana government treated the matter of tribal welfare as a priority, and was committed to empowering the ST community in the state.

"The tribal communities in our state have been given a facelift in terms of living standards by our government," he claimed.

Tribal Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod and other leaders also attended the event.