Dalit Students Jagruthi (DSJ) president T. Ganesh on Sunday said though the Centre and the State Government had been spending crores of rupees to improve the living condition of the Dalits in the country, members of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes remained backward even after 75 years of independence.
‘’There is an urgent need to constitute Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Cooperative Bank with a mandate to sanction loans for the Dalit youth to pursue higher education and start new industries,” said Andhra Pradesh Vidyarthi Joint Action Committee President Rayapatti Jagadeesh. A majority of the Dalits did not have access to institutional credit as they were not in a position to arrange for collateral security, he explained. The demand would be put forth before all political parties ahead of the 2024 elections, he said.