Empowerment only when Dalits become partners in development, says Telangana CM

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has said that Dalit empowerment would serve its true meaning and purpose when Dalits are aware to define their own development and become partners in the development.

Addressing a review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan here on Monday, the Chief Minister asked the officials concerned to ensure that the Dalit empowerment scheme reaches the genuine beneficiaries.

"Innovative employment schemes should be formulated immediately for implementation under Telangana Dalit Bandhu scheme and they should be placed before the beneficiaries for their economic empowerment and to make them self-reliant," he said.

He also instructed the officials to first get themselves sensitised and later sensitise the beneficiaries. The review meeting discussed the guidelines of the Dalit Bandhu Scheme and the employment schemes to be designed.

Speaking on the occasion, Rao further said, "At the field level, in the pilot project in Assembly Constituency, visit the villages and understand the Dalit families situation. Collect their opinion. In tune with the changed circumstances, take up the works to financially stabilize them and turn them into schemes. Initially, the officials should get themselves sensitise towards this."

The CM has suggested the officials to get themselves sensitized about the pilot project and plan how to conduct the field trails.

He said that a workshop with higher officials prominent Dalit employees, Dalit organizations leaders and Dalit activists would be held shortly.

"In tune with the decisions taken at the workshop, officials should go to the Dalit Wadas, interact with the Dalit families, meet the prominent Dalits about the issues of Dalits. And based on their suggestions and advice, prepare the schemes. What are the needs of Dalits? Find out whether the schemes are allowing Dalits to create income without any long-time gap or not and accordingly plan the schemes," he told the concerned officials.

( With inputs from ANI )