Two cows to each Chenchu family for livelihood

Srisailam Project (Kurnool): Srisailam Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) project officer Venkata Murali has said that the executive officer of the ITDA Bharat Narayan Gupta expressed willingness to distribute cows from the ITDA cattle shed among the Chenchus living under the ITDA limits for their livelihood.

Highlights:

• ITDA project officer says 20 tribals have been selected for imparting training as security guards and posting them in the Srisailam temple
• The tribal authority sanctioned 95 self-employment units to Chenchus during 2016-17

Disclosing this to media at a conference held here on Monday, the project officer said that the ITDA kept a plan ready for development of the tribals. As part of the plan, 20 tribals have been selected for imparting training as security guards and posting them in the Srisailam temple. The temple devastham will take care of their lodging and boarding facilities.

Plan has been kept ready to give two cows to each Chenchu family with milk purchase arrangement from the temple devasthanam. Further, the ITDA official said that steps to improve the economic lot of the Chenchu tribals would be initiated making arrangements for the temple to buy the green fodder needed by cows in the temple cow shed from the Chenchus.

The services of Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) would be roped in to buy red chilli cultivated by Chenchu farmers to ensure payment of money directly to the Chenchus. The names of Chenchus cultivating chillies would be registered for the purpose, he said.

The GCC has been running 10 petrol pumps and there are plans to set up one at Sunnipenta. A plan has been prepared to take up temporary repairs to amenities in residential and primary schools at a cost of Rs 2.3 crore, he said adding that the plan is under way.

Under the Recognition of Forest Rights, the ITDA had settled 2,377 claims in Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur districts and pattas pertaining to 7632.63 acres have been given to beneficiaries. During 2016-17, 95 self-employment units have been sanctioned. Under a bank linkage programme, loans are being advanced to tribals at the rate of Rs 8 lakh for each cottage industry with a subsidy component of Rs 1 lakh.

Under the programme, tribals are encouraged to grow silkworms and set up cell point corners, textile shops, bricks units, auto and tractor units. Murali stated that travel fare is being given to residential school students visiting home during Dasara and Sankranti vacations and proposals have been sent to higher authorities for sanction of Rs 65 lakh to 65 beneficiaries to enable them to sink borewells. Efforts are also on to provide works to Chenchus under the NREGS, he said.

By S Syam Sundar