Andhra Pradesh - Eluru   

Running from pillar to post

ELURU: It is proving to be a wild goose chase for Yarramsetti Venkataramayya to get his old-age pension sanctioned thanks to official apathy. The 68-year old Venkataramaiah from Chanammilli in Nidamarru mandal of West Godavari district has been running from pillar to post for the last six months to get the Chief Minister’s orders for sanction of pension implemented. And all this, when the sexagenarian is an ardent fan of Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Venkataramayya, a poor farmer with two sons and three daughters, had undertaken the arduous ‘padayatra’ programme with the zeal of a missionary-all for his favourite leader Dr. Reddy who had taken to the walkathon prior to the last general elections in West Godavari district . “ As an old man, I got inspired by Dr. Reddy’s promise, among others, to ensure old-age pensions to all eligible senior citizens”, he asserts.

Mr. Venkatarmaiah went to Hyderabad and successfully put forth his plea before the Chief Minister at his official residence in October, 2007. Dr. Reddy instructed his ‘peshi’ to look into the petition From here began the travails of the senior citizen. The District Revenue Officer wrote to the Nidamarru Mandal Development Officer (MPDO) to grant the request. But the MPDO wrote back to the higher-ups, saying that the pension could not be sanctioned to the petitioner since he was the beneficiary of the rice scheme under the ‘Anthyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)’ programme. “Still, I am eligible for pension”, contends Venkataramayya, alluding to the statement made by Rural Development Minister G. Chinna Reddy on the floor of the House that all old people with AAY cards and one or two acres of land were eligible for old-age pensions.

“I made six trips to the Collectorate from my remote village in Kolleru area which does not have a proper transport facility. I was denied audience four times by the Collector’s personal staff. And when I personally could meet her twice, I failed to get her to go through my plea”, he laments.

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