NELLORE: Taking a dig at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for the continuous attacks on Dalits across the country, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has demanded that the Centre take steps to prevent such attacks and protect their Constitutional rights. Naidu said the TDP had already appealed to the President of India to intervene in the issue.
Participating in ‘Dalita Tejam - Telugu Desam’ public meeting at SVGS Degree College Grounds in Nellore on Saturday, the Chief Minister also made several promises to the SC community. Naidu said he would see to it that converted Christians get reservations on par with Dalits.
Naidu announced that his government would increase free power to households of Scheduled Castes in rural areas of the State from 75 units to 100 units. Naidu also made a mention of the GO issued on Saturday to distribute Rs 1,500 as pension to 6,000 traditional ‘dappu’ artistes in the State. The Chief Minister also promised to allocate Rs 250 crore to provide housing for Dalits and distribute ` 1,000 as financial assistance to traditional chappal workers and provide tools to them on subsidy.
Naidu said they allocated Rs 40,250 crore for the welfare of Scheduled Castes in the last four years.
Stating that more leaders are emerging from the SCs in the State, the Chief Minister said the government would extend support for the political upliftment of Dalits. “We have also issued instructions to the officials to start welfare schemes at the Dalit colonies in rural areas,’’ he said.
IT and Panchayat Raj minister Nara Lokesh, speaking on the occasion, demanded that Opposition Leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan stage protest against the Centre for special category status to the State. Lokesh termed the BJP as ‘Bharatiya Janata Party(B)-Jaganmohan Reddy Party(J)-Pawan Kalyan Party(P).’
Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana said the State government had started ‘Dalita Tejam-Telugu Desam’ programme to resolve the issues of SCs in the State. Social Welfare Minister Nakka Ananda Babu said residential education for the students belonging to Scheduled Caste was started by the TDP regime under the leadership of former CM NT Rama Rao.
“Chandrababu Naidu is continuing the residential education and has enhanced it by providing quality and basic amenities to the students of SCs across the State,’’ he added. The TDP took the meeting as a prestigious one in view of the 2019 elections and all of its legislators belonging to the SC community from across the State attended the meeting.
Naidu’s promises