Despite painting a rosy picture to welfare sector in Telangana, most of the funds allotted to implement SC and ST Sub Plans are getting lapsed or left unspent. Thanks to officials apathy for their inability to spend the funds as part of implementing the schemes of welfare. Out of Rs 8,089 crore allotted and Rs 2159 crore released, the officials spent only Rs 1,249 crore for SC sub plan. Of Rs 5,035 crore allotted and Rs 1552 crore released for ST sub plan, they spent Rs 766 crore only.
Ram Lakshman, Advisor, Welfare department told mediapersons despite staff shortage creating problems in implementing the scheme, we could spend adequate funds and schemes for welfare in the first quarter. “We could not afford for lands at Khammam and GHMC as the land cost is about Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per acre while we are permitted to spend only Rs 2 lakh to 4 lakh”, he said, adding that “we need government permission to purchase the land to be given to the landless Dalits.”
Ram Lakshman said the government has so far distributed 3,600 acres of land among Dalit people (one acre to each Dalit) and this is first of its kind scheme in the country, he claimed. He said 80 per cent of subsidies were being offered to Dalits under financial support schemes. Like nowhere in India, the Telangana State government was implementing Kalyana Lakshmi scheme to provide monetary assistance to SC, ST girls by spending Rs 105 crore and Rs 62 crore respectively. “We have a plan to introduce biometric policy to avoid misuse of the food grains and irregularities in welfare hostels. He also said they could give half-a-kg rice to each person of a hostel.
When asked about Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s direction to provide stomach full of food of fine rice to each student, he said they were providing half-a-kg rice to each one and will increase the quantity if necessary. There are 800 hostels of SCs and 622 of STs in the State. Nonetheless, the government was making all efforts to ensure inclusive growth by bringing deprived and poorest people into mainstream. (NSS)