Hyderabad, Jun 28 : Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has announced that his government is ready to spend Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore in the next 3-4 years for dalit empowerment in the state.

Addressing a 11-hour marathon all-party meeting, a rare one, held at Pragathi Bhavan here on Sunday night to finalise the guidelines for the CM Dalit Empowerment programme, Mr Rao said we have to take up united action plan on this programme and the Government is ready to implement phased wise action plan to remove social and economic problems of Dalits.

The state government has introduced several schemes and programmes for the development and welfare of Dalits, he said it has attained qualitative change in agriculture and education sectors.

But yet with an aim to set the Dalit families, who are under the poverty line move towards development, Dalit Empowerment Programme is being introduced at a cost of Rs 1200 Crore, he said it is the responsibility of the government to move the society forward like rearing of a child and any laxity would lead to a great loss to the future generations and the rulers would be held responsible for this.

From Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Dalits are socially and economically exploited classes, the Chief Minister said this trend should be done away with.

Mr Rao urged the leaders present in the all-party meeting to give suggestions to make Dalits move forward in the society with a confidence they too can progress, to make transparent policies for the empowerment of Dalits, which give no room for any manipulation and wanted the suggestions to be above the party politics.

Under Dalit Empowerment Programme, the government will provide financial assistance directly to the bank accounts of selected Dalit beneficiaries.

The All-party meeting,unanimously decided to provide Rs 10 Lakh financial assistance directly into the bank accounts of the Dalit beneficiaries under CM Dalit Empowerment Programme to the eligible Dalits to make them financially self-sufficient economically and their independent decision making.

In the first phase, from the total 119 Assembly Constituencies, 100 families from each constituency all over the state, the assistance would be given to the eligible 11,900 people selected.(UNI)