Better living conditions for tribals envisaged

Rs 3,600 crore earmarked under ST Sub-Plan this year

Rampachodavaram: The State government has earmarked Rs 3,600 crore under ST Sub-Plan this year under the hope that the living standards of the tribals would improve in the next five years, said Minister for Revenue N Raghuveera Reddy here on Friday.

The minister inaugurated an overhead tank constructed with 13th Finance Commission funds at B Ramannapalem village of Rampachodavaram mandal in East Godavari district and assured the villagers of a DR sub-depot by June. He also assured supply of drinking water to the village through Bhupathipalem canal at Utla.

Later, he enquired about the implementation of various schemes through Anganwadi centres. He visited the Girls' Residential School at K Yerrampalem and inaugurated four additional classrooms constructed with Sarva Siksha Abhiyan funds.

The minister informed that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy started 'Indiramma Samkshema Baata' marking the birth anniversary of Babu Jagjivan Ram and he would visit several districts till Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary on April 14.

Later, the Revenue Minister inaugurated bore wells set up in 26.12 acres at Devarathigudem. He told the farmers that the State government was spending Rs 1.6 lakh on each acre to make it useful for cultivation and called upon the farmers to get maximum yield. He said the government was providing irrigation water through Indira Jala Prabha whereas water was available only through tankers in the past.

Later, Mr Raghuveera Reddy inaugurated a VRO office at Tamarapalli. He said the tribals in the Agency areas were unable to express their grievances. He lauded the efforts of the officials working in the Agency serving the tribal people with dedication.

He informed that 15,500 VRO offices were set up in government buildings by the district Collectors so far and another 20,000 VRO offices would be set up in the coming months. He took credit on behalf of the Congress government for distributing 75 lakh acres to the poor in which 61 lakh acres belonged to Revenue Department.

He informed that the State government has earmarked Rs 12,200 crore overall under the SC, ST Sub-Plan this year.