The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Old-age pension for rural poor to be hiked to Rs. 125

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 10, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Old-age pension for rural poor to be hiked to Rs. 125

Special Correspondent

`It has been steadily increased since Congress came to power'

HYDERABAD: Old-age pension for the rural poor will be enhanced to Rs. 125 from April next.

Announcing this in the Assembly on Friday, Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said the Congress after coming to power had increased the pension from Rs. 75 to Rs. 100, which would be Rs. 125 from April next. He said 16.69 lakh persons were getting pension, of which four lakh were sanctioned by the Centre.

He replied in the negative to a question by D. Venkateswarulu (Congress) whether a pension scheme for agricultural labourers was being implemented.

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy has promised to allocate sufficient funds for purchase of Government land for burial and cremation for use by Christians, Muslims and Hindus. M. A. Gafoor (CPI(M)) and other members pointed out that lack of burial grounds was often leading to law and order problem. Minority Welfare Minister Md. Fareeduddin said there was no provision to acquire land for burial grounds.

Jindal venture

Mines Minister Sabita Indra Reddy said only NALCO and APMDC were permitted to take up mining in the Agency of Visakhapatnam district. The Jindal group had agreed to set up Rs. 9,000 crores plant outside the Agency area, she added. She agreed to convene a meeting of tribal MLAs to explain the benefits of the project.

Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao said the Government had established a land bank in the State. Collectors had been directed to identify Government, endowments and surplus lands. Sugar Industries Minister J. Geeta Reddy turned down a demand by B. Veda Vyas (Congress) to constitute a House committee to go into the sale of cooperative sugar factories at throwaway price by the TDP regime.

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Andhra Pradesh