KCR announces annual Ambedkar Award with Rs 50-cr fund

HYDERABAD: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Friday announced the institution of an annual award in the name of Dr B R Ambedkar with a Rs 50-crore permanent fund.

KCR made this announcement at a meeting after the unveiling of the 125-foot-tall Dr B R Ambedkar statue on the Necklace Road here. Addressing the gathering on this occasion, KCR responded positively to a proposal made to him by Dalit poet and activist Katti Padma Rao through the media.

He said that the permanent fund of Rs 50 crore would generate Rs 3 crore every year which would be given to the recipient of the annual Ambedkar Award.

Hailing Ambedkar as a universal man, KCR felt that the ideals of the great visionary could not be confined to any one place or state. “Wherever there are oppressed people, his ideals become relevant,” he said.

“There are still some Ambedkar’s noble aspirations that remain unfulfilled. It is the responsibility of everyone to work towards this. But, this would be possible only if we stay united instead of being divided,” KCR said.

The BRS supremo also used this occasion to assure the people that it would be his party that would come to power at the Centre next time. He reiterated his promise that, once coming to power at the Centre, he would implement the unique Dalit Bandhu scheme, being successfully implemented in Telangana, across the country by extending it to 25 lakh families every year. He also promised to extend the scheme benefits in Telangana to 1.25 lakh people during the current fiscal year.

Stating that he was a man of deeds, KCR exuded confidence that he would be successful in this endeavour. “I once said that I was going to Delhi from Andhra Pradesh state and that I would only return to a Telangana State and that happened. You need self-confidence to proclaim a few things. Take my word, we will be assuming power at the Centre next time. A spark is what is needed to set off things and I’m already seeing a positive change in Maharashtra which will be felt in other states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal,” he said.

KCR said that it was a matter of great pride for Telangana and the State Government to have the tallest Ambedkar statue installed in its midst. He felt privileged to have been at the helm of affairs for the historic event.

He thanked Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar for gracing the event. KCR also thanked Telangana Welfare Minister Koppula Eshwar, Roads and Buildings Minister Prashanth Reddy, all the officials, contracting companies and the workforce for tirelessly working to complete the work on the imposing statue.

Country should welcome KCR: Prakash Ambedkar

Speaking at the public meeting after the unveiling of the statue, Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, gave a clarion call to the people of the country to welcome KCR. He said that this was the need of the hour for the nationwide implementation of the novel Dalit Bandhu scheme of Telangana.

He called the ideals and philosophy of Babasaheb Ambedkar as an imperative for the country to bring about qualitative change in the society. One can pay real tribute to the visionary by emulating his principles, he felt.

Prakash Ambedkar hailed the unveiling of Dr BR Ambedkar’s mammoth statue in Hyderabad, saying that it provided the spark for a new era in history. The three-time Parliamentarian also said that KCR had been striving hard to fight against fiscal disparities in the society. In yet another significant observation, he felt that the country had not seen a national leader after Atal Bihari Vajyapee and that there was scope for regional leaders to emerge strongly on the national scene. He appealed to the people of the country to support KCR in this endeavour.

“Babasaheb warned that the country would lose its national identity and leadership if it failed to eradicate casteism and communalism from politics,” he remarked. He also complimented KCR for carrying forward Dr B R Ambedkar’s aspirations into the future.

Prakash Ambedkar said that Babasaheb (Ambedkar) always believed that the fiscal inequalities could be removed only through the creation of smaller states and made several recommendations for this purpose.

Earlier, KCR and Prakash Ambedkar also symbolically unveiled a CD on the success stories of Dalit Bandhu scheme.

Telangana Minister Koppula Easwar, in his speech, called the unveiling of Ambedkar’s statue an unprecedented event in the history of the country.

While stating that Telangana could be formed because of the leadership of KCR for the statehood movement, he also recalled that it was the Article 3 incorporated in the Indian Constitution by Dr Ambedakar that paved the way for the creation of a Telangana State.

He gave an account of various welfare measures initiated by the KCR government for the welfare of the SCs in the state and made a special mention of the novel Dalit Bandhu scheme, which he claimed, was transforming lives in the states.

He thanked the Telangana Chief Minister for making him a part of the entire strenuous process for the installation of the statue. He also hailed KCR for his commitment for the welfare of the Dalits besides his unstinted involvement and guidance at every stage of the statue’s construction.

Earlier, KCR felicitated Dr B R Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, also known as Balasaheb Ambedkar, a three-time Parliamentarian on this occasion.

Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, in her welcome address, described the unveiling of the statue through the hands of KCR and Prakash Ambedkar as a historic event. She said that the event also received divine blessings as the skies opened up with showers of rain and floral petals. She also thanked KCR for his guidance and involvement at every stage of the installation of the imposing statue.

She likened KCR to Ambedkar for his governance dedicated for the upliftment of the downtrodden and the classes that remained oppressed for generations. She complimented the officials, workforce and the contracting company involved in the construction of the state for accomplishing their task within the prescribed deadlines.