The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : State making a farce of Yuvashakti: Lakshman

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

State making a farce of Yuvashakti: Lakshman

By Our Special Correspondent

SRIKAKULAM, DEC.20. The State unit general secretary and spokesman of the BJP, K. Lakshman, on Monday charged the Congress Government with making a farce of the Rajiv Yuvashakti programme and driving some of the frustrated youth to the verge of committing suicide.

Speaking to newsmen at the R&B guest here, Dr. Lakshman said selection of beneficiaries for the programme would be made in two stages. The first stage was over and all guidelines were thrown to the wind at this stage and the names of only Congress workers and supporters were found in the list, he alleged. Under this scheme 30 percent subsidy would be given to selected beneficiary on the loan amount which would range from Rs.50,000 to Rs.3 lakhs. In all Rs.321 crores had been allotted for the programme.

`Officials pressured'

Dr. Lakshman recalled the assertions of Congress leaders that the programme was different from the Chief Minister's Youth Empowerment (CMEY) of the TDP Government and the lacunae and lapses would be rectified. But the only thing that was done was to bring tremendous pressure on the officials concerned to select the recommended persons who, according to Dr.Lakshman, were active Congress workers.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) would launch an agitation in the form of organsing dharna at all collectorates, demanding selection of only deserving and eligible candidates for the RYS. The final selection, to be done by a committee headed by the District Collector, is yet to be completed.

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