Hyderabad: The BC Bandhu scheme announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, to extend ₹1 lakh financial assistance to Backward Classes dependent on caste-based professions, was halted across the state due to a tussle between BRS MLAs and local BRS leaders over the selection of beneficiaries.
As many as 300 beneficiaries in each of the 119 Assembly constituencies were supposed to get ₹1 lakh from July 15, but the scheme could not take off as the final selection list could not be finalised.
Although the government named the scheme ₹1 lakh financial assistance scheme for BCs’, it became popular as ‘BC Bandhu’, along the lines of Dalit Bandhu, which extends ₹10 lakh financial assistance to Dalits to set up a unit of their choice for their employment or livelihood.
The Chief Minister formally launched the BC Bandhu scheme on June 9 as part of the decennial celebrations of the formation of Telangana state, which were held from June 2 to 22 across the state. The government invited online applications from 16 BC castes from June 2 to 20 and received a huge response, with over 5.32 lakh submitting applications.
The state government announced that officials will identify beneficiaries by conducting ground-level verification to determine whether applicants were engaged in caste-based professions, so that they can utilise the funds to purchase required tools or equipment.
Minister for BC welfare Gangula Kamalakar announced that in the first phase, 300 beneficiaries from each of the 119 Assembly constituencies will be covered and the beneficiaries will be given ₹1 lakh cheques.
However, except in the Karimnagar Assembly constituency, which is represented by the minister, the scheme failed to take off in other districts. Even in Karimnagar, the minister distributed cheques to only 32 beneficiaries, against a target of 300 set by the government, due to the internal tussle.
In all constituencies, officials conducted field-level surveys and submitted beneficiaries’ lists to MLAs, but in many instances, MLAs and local BRS leaders expressed anger over the lists not comprising beneficiaries recommended by them.
Due to a lack of consensus, MLAs, who are supposed to distribute cheques, refused to do so and asked officials to conduct a re-verification and submit revised lists.
The government announced to release ₹400 crore for this scheme last week, but the funds are yet to reach the districts, with a few districts receiving partial funds. A delay in earmarking funds was also cited as a reason for the delay in implementing the scheme.
However, Kamalakar said that this scheme is a continuous process and cheques will be distributed on the 15th of every month, in phases, until all eligible beneficiaries are covered.
“There might be some delay in grounding the scheme but it's a continuous process. There is no need for applicants to worry. We instructed officials to undertake thorough verification to identify genuine beneficiaries and the delay in final selection list is on account of this. Those who fail to make it to the selection list are spreading rumours that the delay was because of fight between BRS MLAs and local leaders. There is no truth to this,” the minister said.
