Telangana to rename welfare with development

Hyderabad: Telangana government has renamed the social welfare department as Scheduled Castes Development department. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is giving top priority to welfare departments and is holding all the welfare portfolios, has decided to rename these wings as “development” departments.

Welfare departments for SCs, STs, BCs and minorities were created decades ago and continue to function even now. Ever since Mr Rao took charge as the first Chief Minister Telangana state, he has been conveying his displeasure over naming them as ‘welfare’ departments, saying that term ‘welfare’ refers to providing minimal level of wellbeing and social support to weaker sections, while his government has big plans for their development.

The TRS government plans to spend Rs 1 crore in the next five years for the development of these sections in all spheres. The government on Saturday issued orders renaming the social welfare department. Similar orders renaming ST, BC and minorities departments are also expected shortly.

The TRS government has decided to distribute three acres of land to each Dalit family in the state starting August 15 this year, and as per estimates it requires 54 lakh acres to distribute land to 18 lakh Dalit families.

The government has decided to seek ‘Bhoodaan’ from landlords and others to mobilise the land. It constituted a new ‘Telangana Bhoodaan Yagna Board’, manned by principal secretary of the revenue department and cancelled the existing AP Bhoodaan Yagna Board.