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Funds for Dalit Bandhu to be released in phased manner: K. Chandrasekhar Rao

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K-Chandrasekhar-Rao

 Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has said that funds for implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme will be released in a phased manner.

The chief minister reviewed the preparations for implementation of the scheme in four mandals on pilot basis. This is in addition to the Huzurabad Assembly constituency and chief minister’s adopted village Vasalamarri, where the scheme was launched last month.

The government has picked up Chintakani Mandal in Madhira Assembly segment in the east, Tirmalgiri Mandal in Tungaturthy Assembly segment in the north, Charagondu mandal in Achampet and Kaluwakurty segments in the west and Nizam Sagar Mandal in Jukkal segment.

The chief minister has asked officials to have a parental approach while implementing Dalit Bandhu, the scheme aimed at empowering Dalits.

He asked the officials to support Dalits like parents through Dalit Bandhu. Like the parents who take care of their children, the officials should take care of Dalits under the Scheme.

KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said the project is being implemented in four corners of the state to make it successful keeping in view the sentiments of Dalits, their financial needs, and their actual situation.

Under the scheme, every beneficiary Dalit family will get Rs 10 lakh as grant and they will be free to chose their profession, self-employment or businesses for utilising the funds.

He reiterated that Dalit Bandhu Scheme is being implemented with a higher ambition and social responsibility to develop Dalits economically, make them businessmen and to break the social and economic discrimination against them, which was in vogue for decades.

“Telangana Dalit Bandhu is a unique programme, which no one ever did in the past, a new idea no one ever tried, and we are the designers and implementers of the programme. By making the scheme a success, we will become the ones who laid new tracks for the development of Dalits,” he said and recalled that the separate Telangana statehood movement was also a fight against the discrimination.

KCR on Monday held a meeting with ministers from the four districts of the Mandals, MP, MLAs, MLCs, Zila Parishad Chairpersons and others to discuss the preparations for implementation of the scheme.

He pointed out the scheme was formulated after a series of discussions with all the political parties and the elders among Dalits. Suggestions and advice came that any Mandal or Assembly segment should be taken to implement the schema totally. Accordingly, the pilot project of the scheme was launched in the Huzurabad Assembly segment.

The CM said from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, if there is any section that is facing discrimination and suffering pain, it is Dalits. This is what several international and national comparative research studies have pointed out. There are no qualitative changes in the lives of Dalits except some notional benefits. The entire society should come forward and help Dalits as a family comes to the rescue of its members when they are in trouble, he said.

The CM reiterated that eligible Dalits would be provided reservations in the sectors where the government would issue licenses such as medical shops, wine shops, Mee Seva centres, gas dealerships, transport permits, civil contracts, outsourcing contracts, and a host of others.

Crime

Bengaluru Police file FIR against Air Force officer in road rage case

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Bengaluru, April 22: The Bengaluru Police lodged an FIR against an Indian Air Force officer on Tuesday in connection with a road rage incident involving him and a bike rider.

The case was registered under the jurisdiction of the Byappanahalli police station. The FIR has been filed against Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose. Earlier, the bike rider, Vikas Kumar, was arrested in connection with the case. The incident came to light after Bose uploaded a video on social media claiming he was attacked by a local youth for not speaking in Kannada.

However, later CCTV footage revealed Bose overpowering the bike rider, banging, kicking, and punching him.

The FIR has been filed under IPC Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 304 (snatching forcefully), 324 (mischief), and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace).

The complaint was lodged by Vikas Kumar, a call centre employee. According to him, while he was returning a friend’s bike, a car touched his vehicle. “When I questioned why they hit the bike, the officer kicked it. When I objected, he continuously assaulted me. When I tried to call my friend, he snatched my phone and threw it. He also threw away the bike keys and attempted to choke me,” Kumar alleged.

The incident escalated after Kannada organisations condemned the officer’s video and the alleged assault, criticising him for giving the issue a Kannada versus Hindi language twist. After Kumar’s arrest, they also slammed the police for taking one-sided action.

DCP East D. Devaraju had stated earlier that the incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Monday while the Air Force officer was travelling from DRDO Quarters to the Bengaluru International Airport. “An altercation broke out between the officer, his wife, and the biker. His wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Das, was driving the car. The situation escalated, and we have CCTV footage along with videos taken by bystanders,” he said.

“It’s a clear case of road rage. Both parties could have avoided the incident. Around 6.30 a.m., they came to the police station, and the SHO advised them to seek first aid as they were bleeding,” he added.

He also stated that Bose had left for the airport due to a delay. “Once he went live on social media, we traced the details and contacted Madhumita Das at the DRDO quarters. She later came to the police station and filed a complaint. This is a clear road rage incident,” DCP Devaraju reiterated.

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Crime

ED raids 16 locations in Bihar, Jharkhand in connection with 117 acre land scam

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Ranchi, April 22: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at 16 locations across Jharkhand and Bihar in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to a massive land scam involving 117 acres of forest land in Bokaro.

The raids began early in the morning and were spread across Ranchi, Bokaro, and Ramgarh in Jharkhand, as well as some locations in Bihar.

The operation is part of the ED’s ongoing probe into illegal land transactions and suspected laundering of proceeds from the sale and purchase of forest land.

The case, originally registered at the Sector-12 police station in Bokaro earlier this year, pertains to the alleged illegal transfer and sale of approximately 117 acres of forest land. The Jharkhand CID had initially taken up the investigation, which revealed major irregularities.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Jharkhand Police, also probing the 2022 forest land scam, found that 74.38 acres of land belonging to the Forest Department in Bokaro were illegally allotted to a private company by administrative officials.

According to CID findings, the land mafia in alleged collusion with some personnel of Bokaro Steel Limited (BSL) tampered with land records. It was further discovered that the land in question had not been properly handed over to the Forest Department by BSL, which created loopholes exploited by the accused parties for illegal transactions.

Following the revelations, the case was handed over to the ED for investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Sources indicate that the ED is likely to summon and question several individuals, including officials from the Forest Department and BSL, in connection with the case.

The agency is also examining financial trails to ascertain how the proceeds from the land transactions were laundered and who the key beneficiaries were.

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Business

Chhattisgarh CM to showcase new industrial policy during his two-day Mumbai visit

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Mumbai, April 22: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai will be on a two-day visit to Mumbai from Wednesday, where he will participate in two major national events, including the CMAI Fab Show and the India Steel 2025.

During these events, he will present Chhattisgarh’s new industrial policy, its investment potential and infrastructure vision before leading industrialists and policymakers from across the country.

According to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s office, CM Sai will take part in the Fab Show on April 23, organised by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI). This annual event brings together leaders from garment manufacturing, exports, and branding. The chief minister will highlight the incentives and opportunities available for the textile sector under Chhattisgarh’s new industrial policy. Several major companies are also expected to sign MoUs for investment in the state during this event.

On April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the ‘India Steel 2025’ event via video conferencing. CM Sai will also address the inaugural session as the Chief Guest. On this platform, he will present the highlights of Chhattisgarh’s new industrial policy, infrastructure readiness for the steel sector and the state’s long-term development vision.

On the same day, a Chhattisgarh Roundtable Meeting will also be held, where the CM will engage in direct dialogue with potential investors. The discussion will focus on specially developed industrial clusters for the steel sector, logistics infrastructure, single-window clearances, and labour-friendly policies.

CM Sai will also visit the Chhattisgarh State Pavilion set up at the Bombay Exhibition Centre. This pavilion will showcase the state’s robust industrial infrastructure, business-friendly environment, and emerging investment opportunities — aiming to attract national and international investors.

This is CM Sai’s second visit to the financial capital of the country since January this year. During that visit, Chhattisgarh had attracted investment worth Rs 6,000 crore in a range of sectors, including plastic, textile, cement, IT and food processing. He had told the investors that since the launch of the new industrial policy last year, the state had attracted investments of Rs one lakh crore. He had told the investors that the process of no-objection certificates had been streamlined, and clearances were now processed through a single window system.

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