Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday announced that the party would launch a massive “Application Campaign” against the TRS Government in the State.
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan here, Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that the Congress party would collect applications from farmers and students seeking clearance of dues of crop loan waiver scheme and fee reimbursement. The application, directly addressed to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, will be filled by farmers and students with specific details of their crop loan waiver dues or fee reimbursement. “Congress workers will meet nearly 37 lakh farmers, 3 lakh women farmers who mortgaged their gold for crop loans and 14 lakh students across the Telangana State,” he said. While the Application Forms will be disbursed among Congress workers from 13th to 18th October, the filled in forms would be collected from across the State from 21st to 31st October. Entire rank and file of Congress party, including MPs, MLAs, MLCs and frontal organisations will participate in the campaign. These forms will then be submitted to the Chief Minister, Governor and also the President of India, he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed the TRS Government for not fulfilling the promise of waiving off crop loans upto Rs. 1 lakh. The TRS Government has cleared only 61.2% of the total crop loan dues during the last 28 months despite the fact that farmers lost four consecutive crops due to drought and suffered extensive damage in recent heavy rains and floods.
The TPCC chief also informed that Congress workers, in collaboration with NSUI and Youth Congress, would approach about 14 lakh students who were badly hit due to non-clearance of Fee Reimbursement dues. He said that the State Government did not clear even 25% of Fee Reimbursement dues of 2015-16 while not single paise has been released for the academic year 2016-17. He reminded that the Chief Minister had given an assurance in Assembly during March this year that entire dues would be cleared and Fee Reimbursement payments would be done on monthly basis. There has been no change in the status since March. He said that managements of private colleges were unable to pay salaries to Lecturers and other staff and consequently the standard of education in Telangana has gone down.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also informed that the Congress party would conduct its own enumeration of crop losses due to recent heavy rains. He said that the enumeration done by the State Government was erroneous and far from reality. For strange reasons, he said, the State Government was trying to downplay the tragedy. However, he said that the Congress workers would visit all the affected areas on 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th October and conduct a genuine enumeration of crop losses. The findings of those visits would be then submitted to Tehsildars and District Collectors concerned by way of a representation. Similarly, the Congress party would also gather information on faulty works executed under Mission Kakatiya. He said despite spending hundreds of crores in the name of restoration, several lakes and tanks suffered breaches and damages across the State.
The TPCC president alleged that the TRS Government did not fulfill any of the major promises that it made with the people in its election manifesto. He said that SCs and STs, who are entitled to loans and subsidies, did not get anything during the last two years. He said that the government did not even clear dues pertaining to Mid-day Meal Scheme. He also demanded that the government clear total dues of Aarogyasri to ensure that poor patients are not deprived of treatment. The government should also extend bonus to some crops, he demanded.
Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that the Congress party would organise Rajiv Sadbhavana Yatra on October 19 at Charminar. AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has been invited for the event although his participation is yet to be confirmed. The TPCC will organise a public meeting in Karimangar on October 20.
Earlier, the TPCC Chief chaired the party’s Executive Committee meeting which was attended by senior leaders including MPs, MLAs, MLCs, heads of all frontal organisations and other TPCC office bearers. (INN)