Telangana government will start implementing 10% reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the State from next week by issuing necessary orders, whether or not Centre gives its nod for it, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced at Telangana Adivasi-Girijana Atmagourava Sabha organised as part of the national integration day celebrations here on Saturday.
He also made another major announcement stating that the government would also implement Girijana Bandhu, on the lines of Dalit Bandhu scheme, by giving ₹10 lakh each to ST families not having any landholding or any livelihood activity. However, it would be taken up only after the completion of giving podu land pattas to tribal communities.
The Chief Minister said village level committees were tasked with identifying lands eligible for podu pattas in tune with GO 140 guidelines and once the pattas were distributed the tribal concerned would also be extend the investment support under the Rythu Bandhu scheme.
The State Assembly had adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to increase the ST reservation in Telangana from 6% to 10% over seven years ago but the Centre was unmoved. The State had requested it since the composition of STs in the population had gone up after formation of the State and it was a rightful demand, the Chief Minister said addressing adivasi and tribal communities gathered from different parts of the State.
“I seek to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is celebrating his birthday today and Union Home Minister who is on visit to Hyderabad as to what is stopping them from giving nod to increase in ST reservation in Telangana,” Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao said adding that there was no bar on total reservation crossing 50%. He noted that in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu has 69% total quota for different communities and the Centre had given its nod by including it in Schedule IX of the Constitution.
In tune with the long-pending demand of the tribal communities, particularly lambadas, for maava nate, maava raj (our place, our rule) the State Government had upgraded over 3,000 gudems and thandas as gram panchayats allowing the local communities handle the administration by becoming sarpanches. The Chief Minister said the government was also giving 5% quota for STs in all licensed trade activities and recently ₹300 crore was sanctioned for supplying 3-phase power to all tribal habitations.
The gathering responded with loud “no” when the Chief Minister asked them whether the State government should accept the Centre’s condition to fix meters to agricultural power connections. Stating that over 200 tribal students were selected into national level engineering and medical colleges this year thanks to quality education being imparted in residential educational institutions, the Chief Minister said the number of institutions would be increased further.
Assembly Speaker P. Srinivas Reddy, Council Chairman G. Sukender Reddy, ministers Satyavathi Rathod, T. Srinivas Yadav, V. Srinivas Goud, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and others participated.
