SC organisation call for State bandh on February 28 in Hyderabad.

Various Scheduled Caste organisations on Monday gave a call for State bandh on February 28 demanding a legislation to ensure that the sub-plan for SCs and STs was allotted funds from the State budget proportionate to their population and spent fully.

The bandh call which was given at a round table conference of these organisations coincides with the nationwide strike by major trade unions.

Speaking on the occasion, the State secretary of the struggle committee against caste discrimination John Wesley said the bandh was also aimed against the failure of Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan to refer to destruction of the statues of B.R. Ambedkar in his address to the joint session of legislature. Even the Assembly did not condemn the incidents so far.

He warned that the SC organisations will organise an indefinite fast by its activists and ‘Chalo Assembly' if the demands were not met.

The meeting was also addressed by State secretary of Dalit Bahujana Federation Shankar and founder president of Dalit Praja Samiti Avula Balanadham. They demanded an active role for nodal agencies which have been appointed to monitor usage of SC/ST sub-plan funds. They also wanted filling up of the vaancy of the chairman of ST/ST commission.

In a letter to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, the BJP State president G. Kishan Reddy demanded publication of details of special component plan and sub-plan for SCs and STs in the form of a book.

The information should contain allocations made by different government departments.

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Demand funds from State budget, which are proportionate to their population

Warn of indefinite fast by its activists and ‘Chalo Assembly' if the demands are not fulfilled

Source: The Hindu Dt 21.02.2012