AP Govt To Seek Centre's Support For Building Infrastructure In Tribal Areas

AMARAVATI:  Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday held a high-level meeting with officials of the Home and Tribal Welfare Departments regarding the upcoming meeting on left-wing extremism which is going to be held by the Union Home Ministry on September 26 and discussed the issues to be addressed.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister decided to seek Centre’s contribution towards building necessary infrastructure facilities in tribal areas across the State, which includes construction of roads, transforming schools and hospitals under Nadu-Nedu initiative, and comprehensive internet and mobile-telecom facility. The government has been improving schools and hostels in 36 scheduled mandals under Nadu-Nedu along with renovating government hospitals in those regions. In this regard he asked the officials to seek adequate support for these programmes from the Centre, by preparing an action plan.

Further, the Chief Minister directed the telecom officials to do mapping of the towers being set up in the tribal areas, where the officials informed that they are providing telecom facilities to 900 villages through nearly 400 towers. He also instructed the authorities to design a policy to provide internet and mobile-telecom facilities to all tribal villages without leaving a single village. He said that steps should be taken to have a post office wherever there are village secretariats and also stressed on recognising village secretariats as Aadhaar centres, as a majority of the tribals lack Aadhar cards. He further said that steps should be taken to start the Tribal University soon.

He stated that the government had given RoFR pattas to tribal farmers like never before, besides providing Rythu Bharosa every year along with other welfare schemes like Aasara, Cheyutha, Amma Vodi, Vidya Deevena, Vasati Deevena for the upliftment of tribals. The Chief Minister said that 31,155 acres of DKT deeds were given to 19,919 tribals and recruited a large number of tribals in village secretariats and as volunteers by providing reservations.

Meanwhile, DGP Gautam Sawang described the activities of the Maoists in the state and said that their activities have come down significantly, where the strength of the armed Maoists was limited to 50. Currently, the Maoist activity can be seen only in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts. He said that many welfare schemes and programmes which are being carried out by the government are having a significant impact on the lives of the tribals, including the distribution of RoFR deeds. He said that the tribal youth are not showing any interest in Maoist recruitment, as the State government is already reaching them through various initiatives.

Deputy Chief Minister Pamula Pushpasrivani, Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha, Chief Secretary Adityanath Das, DGP Gautam Sawang, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests N Prateep Kumar, Panchayati Raj & Rural Development Chief Secretary Gopalakrishna Dwivedi, Principal Secretary of Transport MT Krishnababu, Chief Secretary of IT Department G Jayalakshmi, Home Secretary Kumar Vishwajit, Intelligence Chief KV Rajendranath Reddy, Energy Secretary Nagulapalli Srikanth, Tribal Welfare Secretary Kantilal Dande, Finance Secretary KVV Satyanarayana, Tribal Welfare Commissioner Ranjit Basha and other officials were present.

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