Hyderabad, January 28: Defying protests by TRS activists, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy held his government’s ambitious mass-contact programme ‘Rachabanda’ in Telangana region.
Reddy participated in the ‘Rachabanda’ (village junction) programme at Singaipally village of Kodair mandal in Mahbubanagar district in Telangana , where TRS workers and others held protests.
Reddy interacted with women over the implementation of various government schemes and told the officials that every rupee being spent should reach the targeted beneficiaries.
The protesters threw stones at buses and tried to disrupt the programmes.
In other places in Telangana like Siddipet in Medak district, Warangal, Nalgonda and others, the protesters disrupted the programme by throwing away chairs and asking the officials to leave the place.
Alleging that the ‘Rachabanda’ programme is an attempt to dilute the separate Telangana agitation, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has called for its boycott and asked people to drive away Congress MLAs and MPs who attend the programme.
State Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu told reporters that the programme was held at 654 places in the region out of which it was disrupted at about 90 places.
The Chief Minister participated in the programme earlier in the day in Kurnool district.
The Chief Minister will be participating in the ‘Rachchabanda’ programme at K C Thanda in Ranga Reddy district in Telangana tomorrow and will also attend a public meeting at Maheswaram.
Reddy will inaugurate new blocks of Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential School Buildings and attend another ‘Rachchabanda’ programme at K Mallepally, Devarakonda mandal in Nalgonda district tomorrow.
‘Rachabanda’ aims at checking whether the benefits of welfare schemes like old age pensions, housing for poor people, ration cards reached the targeted sections or not and to take corrective measures. The programme began on January 24 and it will continue till February 12.
Sridhar Babu said the third day of ‘Rachchabanda’ programme was largely peaceful and orderly in all areas of the state except at very few places in Telangana.
‘Rachabanda’ programme was held at 1611 places across the state. It was conducted at 649 places in coastal Andhra, 308 places in Rayalaseema and 654 places in Telangana.
‘Rachabanda’ programme has so far covered 3,107 villages/gram panchayats all over the state, official sources said.
‘Rachabanda’, a brain child of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was supposed to have been launched by him on September 2, 2009. But he died in the tragic plane crash on that day while he was on the way to Chittoor district to inaugurate the scheme.
–PTI