ASEEM moots monitoring committees at State and district level
Association for Socio-Economic Empowerment of the Marginalised (ASEEM), an NGO connecting potential beneficiaries with government schemes, sought better coordination among various government agencies and NGOs for better implementation and monitoring of non-statutory welfare schemes for minorities.
The NGO recalled that it was in 2018 that a government order extended non-statutory benefits to minorities which included upskilling of 1,000 professional graduates, financial assistance to 10 law graduates from each district of Telangana and 100 from Hyderabad, and the establishment of four skill development centres in Hyderabad, Warangal, Nizamabad and Hyderabad districts, among others.
‘Funds not allocated’
Touching upon the implementation of eight such initiatives, ASEEM filed Right to Information requests seeking the status report. “We had filed several RTI pleas to understand how the initiatives were implemented. In some cases, we found that no budgetary allocation was made and no guidelines were drawn up, such as that for up-skilling. The government made agencies such as the TS Minorities Finance Corporation, Study Circle, the Director of Minorities Welfare, and others as the implementing authorities,” S.Q. Masood from ASEEM said.
For instance, with regard to poly housing, a non-statutory benefit, the Horticulture Department, which is an implementing authority, stated in an RTI reply that the scheme was implemented up to financial year 2018-19. No budgetary allocation was made thereafter, Mr Masood said. Similarly, no information was available on the land development scheme for minorities with the Department of Industries and Commerce, he said.
In a letter to the Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Minister for Minorities’ Welfare Koppula Eshwar, ASEEM urged the State government to set up State and district-level monitoring committees comprising the members of the State Level Bankers Committee, lead district managers, and NGOs, with a stipulation to hold meetings every quarter.
