The Department of Welfare of Scheduled Castes has miserably failed in making the desired results in the development of those who belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) in the State, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala has said.
Mr. Chennithala was addressing a public meeting during his day-long visit to the Pandimalappuram SC colony in Kadambanad grama panchayat near Adoor as part of the Gandhi Gramam programme on Saturday.
He said the socio-economic condition of the SC and Scheduled Tribes (ST) sections of the society continued to be pathetic even after successive governments spending hefty sums of money for their development over the past 65 years.
The SC sections had been facing a lot of social problems and the department had not yet taken any effective steps to properly address their issues. It was also a fact that the funds earmarked for SC welfare too had not reached its original beneficiaries, leaving them in misery.
Mr. Chennithala said he could find five families living under one roof during his visit to a SC colony in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the same programme, earlier.
He alleged that middlemen were plundering the funds aimed at SC development and the Gandhi Gramam programme was aimed at ensuring development and welfare of the SC people in a systematic way. The KPCC president said the programme would be linked to the proposed ‘Aapka Paise Aapka Hath Mein’ programme envisaged by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Revenue Minister Adoor Praksh delivered the keynote address and P. Mohanraj, District Congress Committee president, presided over the function.
Anto Antony, MP; V.P. Sajeendran, MLA and programme State coordinator; Pazhakulam Madhu, district co-ordinator; M.A. Kuttappan, KPCC general secretary; K. Vidyadharan, Dalit Congress president; Babu George, district panchayat president; and Mannar Abdul Latheef, KPCC secretary, also spoke.
Mr. Chennithala visited all households at the SC colony later, promising them every possible assistance and solace.
