Implement SEED scheme for DNCs in A.P.: Veterinary Council chief

President of Andhra Pradesh State Veterinary Council P.V. Lakshmaiah on Friday urged the State government to implement the Central scheme ‘SEED” (Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs -De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities) for DNCs in Andhra Pradesh.

In a statement, he said in the SEED programme, under the self-employment category, nearly 70% of the schemes fall within the animal husbandry and fisheries sector. “As a result, many De-notified and Nomadic Communities are losing the opportunity to benefit from this programme. We therefore, urge the government to issue caste certificates immediately in the name of DNCs so they can avail the benefits and fully utilise the funds provided by the Government of India,” he said.

Pointing to the fact that despite de-notification, these communities continued to face social exclusion, economic backwardness and lack of formal recognition, he said that in different states, they have been categorised variably under OC, Other Backward Classes (OBS), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) groups.

Informing that the Centre had introduced the SEED scheme to address this historical injustice done to them and to facilitate their upliftment through support in education, health, housing and self-employment and skill development, Mr. Lakshmaiah said: “The key advantage was that the scheme did not require any financial contribution or matching grant from the State government, as it was a 100% Centrally-funded initiative.”

He added that the government should direct the departments of BC Welfare, SC Welfare, ST Welfare and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) to identify eligible communities already categorised under BC, SC, ST and OC/EWS and start issuing DNC certificates at scale, with urgency, to maximise the number of beneficiaries from Andhra Pradesh.

He also proposed a week-long special drive for issuing caste certificates so that thousands of eligible individuals can benefit from the scheme.