Hundreds of activists of the Telugu Desam Party took out a march on the arterial Trunk Road here on Monday in protest against the removal of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s name from the ‘Overseas Education Funding’ scheme, saying that it is an insult to the downtrodden sections of the people who hold the leader in high esteem.
The activists, led by party Ongole Lok Sabha unit SC wing president Ch. Shyam, assembled in front of the statue of the Dalit icon near Ambedkar Bhavan and raised slogans demanding restoration of his name in the scheme’s title immediately.
The scheme, launched during the TDP regime to provide financial assistance of ₹15 lakh each to Dalit students for pursuing higher studies in foreign universities, was initially called ‘Ambedkar Overseas Education Funding’ but has been rechristened as ‘Jagananna Overseas Education Funding’.
People would teach a lesson to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy who exhibited arrogance by affixing his name to the scheme, party leader G. Raj Vimal said.
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The present government had deprived funds for the scheme in the last three years putting to jeopardy the future of Scheduled Caste students, the TDP leaders alleged, adding that the Chandrababu Naidu government had earmarked ₹377 crores and enabled more than 4,500 Dalit students pursue education abroad.
