KARIMNAGAR: The Dalit communities held a road blockade and staged a dharna on Thursday in protest against the state government, saying the officials have not implemented the promised Dalit Bandhu scheme in their village, at Charlabhatkur in Karimnagar rural mandal.
They blocked the way for backward class welfare minister Gangula Kamalakar to attend an event in the village as part of the Telangana formation day celebrations. When the police tried to clear the way, a heated argument took place between them and the protesters.
The villagers alleged that not a single dalit family in the village got any Dalit Bandhu cheque so far. When complaints were made, officials did not take any step to conduct a survey in their village for implementation of the scheme. The scheme was implemented in other villages, the dalits said.
Minister Kamalakar said chief minister Chandrashekar Rao introduced the scheme to empower all dalit families. The government had also sanctioned pensions to single women and aged persons, he said.
He said, “Since the Dalit Bandhu scheme is being implemented in a phased manner, there might be a delay in the release of cheques to the beneficiaries of some villages. I would take initiative for implementation of the scheme in this village.”
