T-PRIME only on paper

Hyderabad: Aimed at promoting entrepreneurship amongst the minority communities on par with T-PRIDE – a scheme to empower SC, ST and Physically handicapped persons – T-PRIME has been on paper for more than 5 years since the government made the proposal. Those who have been pursuing the matter with the government feel that the issue has been pushed into a cold storage. Most of the measures taken till now are confined to paperwork despite a slew of orders and memos issued and steps for constituting an officers' committee to framing guidelines.

As per the proposal, initially a budget of Rs 25 crore extended to about 100 entrepreneurs. It was in 2015 when the state government for the first time introduced T-PRIDE (Telangana State Program for Rapid Incubation of Dalit Entrepreneurs) for scheduled caste, scheduled tribe entrepreneurs and physically handicapped persons through GO Ms No 78 dated October 9, 2015. After carefully examining the representation made in the year 2015 by Abul Fateh Syed Bandi Badshah Quadri, Director Telangana Chamber of Trade and Industries Promotion (TECTIP), in 2018, the government decided to introduce T-PRIME, extending benefits to minority entrepreneurs on a par with T-PRIDE.

"GO 306 has been issued through the Minorities Welfare Department on September 15, 2018. Soon, a memo was also issued on December 19, same year 2018 by the Secretary to Government, Minority Welfare Department regarding the constitution of the officer's committee for the preparation of guidelines to implement the scheme," recalled, director of TECTIP.

"Even the Director, Minority Welfare Department, reciprocated twelve days later, with a letter to the Secretary to Government Minorities Welfare Department, issued on December 31, requesting the government to approve the T-PRIME guidelines with further orders. But to our dismay no concrete action has been taken with regard to implementation of the scheme", he rued. "Despite official communication with regard to the scheme no initiative has been taken so far," rued, M M Yousuf, Chairman Telangana Trade and Industries Promotion.