Government push for caste-based vocations

These vocations are set to go hi-tech to expand incomes

The youth from Backward Classes practising caste-based vocations will soon come out of their traditional mould and go hi-tech to scale up their customer base and increase their incomes.

The Telangana government is exploring the ways to improve the incomes of Backward Classes who comprise more than 50 % of population and one of the focus areas is to equip the youth of various caste based vocations with modern equipment, tools and technology and improve their financial status.

Modern laundries

First on the anvil are 164 modern laundries for washermen proposed by the BC Welfare Department, each unit at a cost of ₹30 lakh. These modern units comprise industrial washing machine to handle big loads, dehydrator, drier, ironing and sari rolling machines.

A meeting was organised at Hyderabad in July to familiarise some 2,000 washermen, from 31 districts, with modern laundry systems that were put on display by some leading companies.

Nayi Brahmin is another community that has scope to meet the growing demand for salon, beautician services in urban and semi-urban areas across the State, the department figured out.

“The objective is to help these communities become self-reliant and earn decent incomes. Similar avenues will be explored for other caste-based occupations. The Most Backward Classes Corporation is in place with ₹800 crore budget to cater to the socio-economic development of 112 castes,” Principal Secretary, Backward Classes Welfare G. Asok Kumar said.

Mobile salons

The Department has proposed modern salons and mooted — mobile vanity vans mounted with salon chair and other facilities to provide hair cutting, colouring and beauty services. The vans, expected to cost about ₹10 lakh, are designed to go to apartment complexes to provide service to customers at their doorstep. A demonstration-cum-exhibition of modern hair styles, cosmetics and beauty care products, gadgets was organised in August to create awareness among the Nayi Brahmin society members about the latest products and equipments. About 1,000 members were keen to set up such units. State government allocated ₹250 crore each for the washermen and Nayi Brahmin communities.