Karnataka Dalit entrepreneurs decry ‘poor’ fund allocation: Report
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Dalit Entrepreneurs’ Association has urged the government to increase the fund allocation in the Department of Industries and Commerce towards the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP).
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, C.G. Srinivasan, the association’s working president, highlighted that only Rs 400 crore — less than one percent of the Rs 42,018 crore earmarked under SCSP/TSP — has been allocated towards schemes such as site allocation, soft seed capital, investment promotion subsidy, and loan processing fees, reported Deccan Herald on Saturday.
Srinivasan noted that between 2017 and 2019, Dalit entrepreneurs received 50 percent capital assistance for setting up shops and businesses. In 2019, this was increased to 75 percent to encourage more participation, as interest remained low. He shared that this move helped 2,873 Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs gain access to nearly 2,613 acres of land for entrepreneurial purposes. He pointed out that, however, the overall budget allocation from the Department of Industries and Commerce remains insufficient at just one percent.
He further alleged that Rs 850 crore in grants are still pending under various schemes and flagged a backlog of 271.8 acres of land yet to be allotted to Dalits by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) since 2009.
“There has been severe discrimination in the allotment of old industrial area land where about 25 percent is reserved for entrepreneurs from SC/ST communities,” DH quoted him as saying. He added that many Dalits were given litigated, undulated and unusable lands.
Consequently, several entrepreneurs were penalised for failing to meet the stipulated timelines, as they were unable to start their businesses due to the condition of the allotted land.
The association also called on the government to address corruption within the KIADB, alleging that officials have been denying reservations to Dalit entrepreneurs.
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Drug peddler's property worth Rs 1 crore attached in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): Property worth Rs 1 crore belonging to a notorious drug peddler was on Saturday attached in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, police said.
A double-storey house on eight marlas of land situated at Wantpora Eidgah, belonging to Basit Bilal Dar, a notorious drug peddler, valued at approximately Rs 1 crore, a police spokesperson said.
He said Dar is involved in two cases registered under various sections of the NDPS Act.
During investigation, it was established that the accused had acquired the said property through illicit proceeds generated from drug trafficking activities, the spokesperson said.
Consequently, the property was attached under the provisions of the NDPS Act. The attachment proceedings were conducted in the presence of the two independent witnesses, strictly in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures, he said.
As per the attachment order, the owner has been restrained from selling, leasing, transferring, altering, or creating any third-party interest in the property till further orders, the spokesperson added.
