Hyderabad: The Telangana government will bring amendments to the law on SC, ST Sub Plan after a detailed discussion on the subject with the SC and ST Members of the House. This was stated by Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, while participating in a short discussion on the SC, ST Sub-Plan in the Telangana Assembly on Tuesday. Srihari in fact committed a faux pas when he first stated that the government would adopt the law. Objecting to this, the BJP said the act was already in force and so far the government had not framed the rules.

The Deputy CM quickly changed his stand and said the government would implement the existing SC, ST Sub-Plan Act. He said according to the Andhra Pradesh Re-organization Act, the State has an option to amend and adopt the Act with amendments to the convenience of the new State. “Till then, the existing Act will be implemented as it is”, Srihari said.

Earlier, Congress Members J Geetha Reddy, Sampath Kumar and Mallu Bhatti Virkamarka alleged that the State government was not implementing the SC, ST Sub-Plan properly and allotting meager budget to the Plan in the new State. BJP floor leader K Laxman asked the government to set up a Nodal Agency to implement the SC, ST Sub-Plan.

Reacting to Geetha Reddy’s allegation, the Deputy Chief Minister said that it was not proper on the part of a senior member like Geetha Reddy to talk like that and explained that the government would amend some issues which were not suitable to the Telangana State. Then Geetha Reddy demanded the Deputy Minister to state clearly whether  the government  would adopt the Plan  or not.

Srihari said that as per the AP Reorganisation Act, many old Acts were in force and SC, ST Sub-Plan was also in force. He said there was a need to make some modifications to the SC, ST Sub-Plan including the suggestions of the members in the House. After that it will be adopted, he said. Participating in the debate, Sunnam Rajaiah suggested that the SC, ST Sub-Plan should be implemented even in towns and the funds allotted to the Plan  be spent on agriculture, Housing and other sectors, for  Dalits.

MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi questioned the government saying that as to why the government was not implementing the Plan though it was mentioned in the AP Re-organisation Act. Intervening, Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said the Opposition parties were misleading the House to make the TRS government unpopular. Objecting to Nayani’s intervention, Akbaruddin said the Home Minister has no right to speak on any other issue except the one that pertains to his ministry.