VCK wants Tamil Nadu to implement SC/ST sub-plan, allot fund for Dalit welfare

CHENNAI: To ensure fund allocation for Dalit welfare as per the community’s population in the state, VCK MLAs and the National Coalition on SCP/TSP Legislation, a movement working for Dalit development, have submitted a representation to the state government to implement the SC/ST sub-plan and special scheme like Dalit Bandhu which is being implemented in Telangana.

A delegation from Tamil Nadu including VCK MLAs led by the party’s assembly floor leader M Sinthanai Selvan and officials had visited Telangana to conduct a field study on the Dalit Bandhu scheme. The scheme provides a one-time capital assistance of `10 lakh per SC family, which is given as a 100% grant to establish income-generating schemes of their choice, without bank loan linkage.

The scheme aims to intensify the level of financial assistance to SC households for the establishment of suitable income-generating economic support schemes as the delivery of credit by banks in the form of loans has become a constraint.

“The Telangana state government has implemented the Dalit Bandhu scheme for the welfare of Dalits in the state very effectively. It is part of a multi-pronged approach, in addition to existing entitlements like food security, education and social security,” Selvan said.

According to Selvan, the Dalits were given financial assistance under various categories such as agriculture and allied enterprises, manufacturing and service industries, retail and shops, transports and animal husbandry. “Dalits in the state have established around 95 kinds of different businesses and have been earning well. According to our study in the Huzurabad assembly constituency alone, 18,021 out of 21,568 eligible Dalit families have benefitted from the scheme.”

“We, National Coalition on SCP/TSP Legislation, submitted a representation to the state government to implement SC/ST sub-plan to allocate funds from the state budget according to the SC/ST population of the state. As per the sub-plan, the allocated funds should be spent only for Dalit welfare and not diverted to other schemes.”

It may be recalled that VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan had also raised the same issue when he spoke at the state-level conference to enact legislation on the SC/ST sub-plan. Other Dalit outfits, whom TNIE spoke to, echoed the same view and expressed hope that the state government would announce at least a special scheme for the welfare of Dalits for the time being, before implementing the sub-plan.