The Hindu : Government flayed for `failure' to come up with master plan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 19, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Government flayed for `failure' to come up with master plan

By Our Special Correspondent

The Congress Legislature Party leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, releasing a book on the Congress yatra in Hyderabad on Sunday.

HYDERABAD, JAN. 18. The Congress has criticised the State Government for failing to come up with a master plan to tackle recurring calamities like droughts and cyclones and urged the Centre to double Andhra Pradesh's share under the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) from the existing Rs. 500 crores.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the party's spokesperson, Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu, has said that the State had faced drought for the last six of the eight years under the present regime and yet the Government had not chalked out any master plan for providing drinking water, livelihood and other measures to help farmers.

Last year, the Government had declared 1,050 mandals as drought-hit and had already announced that 429 mandals were facing drought situation this year. The Collectors have recommended that an additional 500 mandals be declared drought-hit.

Charging both the State Government and Centre with failing to come to the rescue of people, he said that though the Central teams have paid visits routinely every year to assess the drought situation, the Centre had hardly provided any assistance to the State.

Even the 50 lakh tonnes of rice which was released under the SJRY scheme to tackle drought was also diverted to other States, he alleged.

Though the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Chief Minister, N.Chandrababu Naidu, had hosted lunch and dinner for each other during the recent BJP national executive meeting, neither of them discussed drought or the recent cyclone. He demanded the Centre to immediately release an additional 20 lakh tonnes of rice to the State. Referring to the stamp paper scam, he alleged that the inefficiency of the State Government had led to its spread to the rest of the country and urged the Centre to act firmly in controlling the scam.

Earlier, speaking at a function where a book written about the padayatra undertaken by him last summer was released, the former Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, said the Congress, if returned to power, would focus on eradicating poverty and unemployment, particularly in the rural areas and accord priority to women's welfare.

He reiterated that the pensions given to the elderly, widows and the disabled would be increased to Rs.225 per month from the present Rs.75.

A book authored by B.Karunakara Reddy was released by veteran journalist and former chairman, Andhra Pradesh Press Akademi, P.Venkateswara Rao. Former PCC president, M.Satyanarayana Rao, Dasari Narayan Rao and Nandi Yellaiah, MPs, also spoke.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh