The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Laudable initiative

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Monday, Mar 24, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Laudable initiative

In a novel initiative, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has launched a crash course for temple priests to help them hone their skills in performing the temple rituals.

The five-day programme is a bold attempt to make the priests to ward off the modern-day professional hazards such as stress. Besides, it teaches the priests how to keep themselves physically fit and inculcate a sense of social responsibility in their work.

Hayagreeava Chary

Narasaraopet

Empty promises

Political parties have already started announcing sops and boons even though the elections are nowhere in sight.

New parties are mushrooming with offers for the poor. These leaders have promised to get double tracks for Narsapur-Nidadavole, Bhimavaram-Machilipatnam-Vijayawada, Samalkot-Kakinada, etc., in order to minimize the running time of trains.

But, none of the MLAs and MPs bothered to pursue the matter with the Railway Minister. Similarly, these elected representatives are not bothered about the soaring prices of essential commodities and vegetables. They are blissfully eschewing the plight of the poor. It is high time that the Constitution be amended suitably to ‘recall’ the elected representatives, who fail to keep their electoral promises.

N.V. Rama Rao

Bhimavaram, West Godavari

Stop fake encounters

As many as 17 Maoists, including seven women and six dalam commanders, were shot dead by Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh police in a joint operation in the Dharmavaram forest area couple of days ago.

The police misleading the media persons on the exact location of the encounter site has given credence to the allegations that firing was one-sided. It is also reported that the police deliberately kept the encounter site a secret and took all precautions to prevent the media persons from reaching the site. As no policeman was injured in the encounter, it is suspected that the Greyhounds teams might have fired at the Maoists at Dharmavaram village itself. The police should desist from these fake encounters. Instead, they should try to bring the naxalites into mainstream.

K. Viswaroop

Palwancha

Good scheme

It is praise worthy to note that the State government has introduced Indiramma (Integrated Novel Development in Rural Areas and Model Municipal Areas) programme with a view to achieving overall development of underdeveloped villages in the State.

Construction of houses is in progress in Phase-I and Phase-II under the scheme in some of the mandals in West Godavari district. Yet, there is a little progress in constructing houses in most of the tribal and remote villages of Polavaram, Buttayagudem and Jelugumilli mandals of West Godavari district. The simple reason: The beneficiaries are not in a position to pay the initial investment. The authorities concerned should amend the guidelines suitably so that the beneficiaries could pay the instalments.

M. Blessing Moses

Polavaram, West Godavari district

Farmers’ suicide

It is highly regrettable that farmers’ suicides are unabated in various parts of the country, particularly in the States of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 82 per cent of farm households in the country are perennial debts due to grave crisis in the farm sector.

The government’s relief packages, subsidies and other facilities have miserably failed to mitigate their problems. It is high time that the government implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations and launch a multi-pronged approach, which should include remunerative prices and subsidies.

V. K. Bhaskara Rao

Chirala

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