■   Rajiv Yuva Vikasam: ₹6,000-cr youth dream announced with pomp, grounded even before June 2 launch

■   16+ lakh applications collected, beneficiary lists ready — but there were no funds

■   From Formation Day fireworks to cold storage: Congress’ flagship unemployment buster turns ghost promise

■   As Cong.govt heads for 2nd anniversary celebrations, lakhs of SC/ST/BC/minority youth still waiting for their “self-employment revolution”

metro india news  I hyderabad

In a tale straight out of political theatre, the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam (RYV) scheme—hailed as a game-changer for Telangana's jobless youth—has become the curious case of a dream deferred. Announced with fanfare by Rajiv Yuva Vikasam (RYV) the ambitious Congress government initiative was slated to soar on June 2, 2025, syncing perfectly with Telangana's State Formation Day celebrations.

Envisioned as a lifeline for self-employment, it promised Rs up to 4 lakh in financial aid to 5 lakh unemployed youngsters from marginalized communities. Yet, in a plot twist worthy of suspense fiction, the scheme never even taxied down the runway. It crashed and fell flat on the ground even before taking off, leaving lakhs of hopefuls in a fog of uncertainty.

The RYV's genesis was nothing short of inspirational. Unveiled this March at a press meet in Mahila University in Hyderabad, Bhatti positioned it as redemption for a decade of "neglect" under the previous BRS regime. "This is our social revolution," he declared. A whopping Rs 6,000 crore was earmarked in the state budget—bankrolled partly by guarantees to lenders—for subsidized loans to spark mini-enterprises.

Targeted at SC, ST, BC, minorities, and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) aged 18-35 and below poverty line, it dangled three slabs: up to Rs 1 lakh (80% subsidy), Rs 1-2 lakh (70% subsidy), and up to Rs 3 lakh (60% subsidy). Surprisingly, 80% of applicants eyed the highest Rs 2-4 lakh tier, drawn by subsidies up to Rs 2.8 lakh, astonishing officials who expected conservative picks.

The buzz was electric. From March 15 to April 5, over 16.22 lakh applications flooded the official portal, with districts like Medchal-Malkajgiri buzzing as officials hustled to compile category-wise lists for Gram Sabha vetting. Women got a 25% quota, disabled applicants 5%, fueling dreams of food carts, tailoring units, and tech startups. Sanction letters were to be handed out amid Formation Day pomp, followed by entrepreneurship training and cheque disbursements by mid-June. But as May ticked into June, the brakes slammed on.

What derailed this express train? A cocktail of fiscal woes and procedural pitfalls. State coffers, strained by prior promises, couldn't muster the Rs 6,000 crore upfront—banks balked without ironclad guarantees, and whispers of cabinet discord swirled. Then came the CIBIL bombshell: Despite Bhatti's verbal vow to waive credit scores for the credit-poor youth, lenders dug in, citing incomplete docs and invalid ratings, stalling approvals.

"Bhatti's word fell flat," lamented applicants, many from rural backwaters with spotty repayment histories. Revanth Reddy hit pause after ministers flagged ineligible entries during district tours, ordering a rigorous re-scrutiny to bar favoritism. Beneficiary lists, painstakingly prepared, now gather dust in district offices, with no funds flowing until post-local elections, per government murmurs.

As the Congress marks its second anniversary in December's first week, RYV's limbo stings. Youth pinned hopes on this bridge from jobless despair to self-made success. Now, it's a ghost promise." Unemployment, hovering at 7.5% among graduates, mocks the scheme's ethos—empower, don't exclude. Critics decry it as another "gaffe" in a string of Congress slips, eroding trust among the very voters who ousted BRS.

Will RYV resurrect, or fade into electoral footnotes? With a cabinet huddle slated for review, Telangana's youth wait, resumes in hand, for a sequel that delivers. For now, this curious case underscores a harsh truth: In politics, grand visions often stall at the funding runway.