Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today vowed to develop Scheduled Tribes in all sectors by strengthening their villages with all facilities and more funds. Tribal Sub Plan will be developed with inputs from Sarpanches of ST Villages to develop rapidly, he said. He exhorted the Tribal leaders to make efforts to achieve rapid growth in their villages. He also explained that the ST villages are set to get about Rs 36,000 crore which is 75 per cent of total Rs 50,000 cr funds in five years.
Lambada community called on KCR at Pragathi Bhavan for extending thanks to him for announcing in the Assembly during budget session that Lambadi Thandas with 500 population will be developed into village panchayats in Telangana. On the occasion, KCR said about 3000 STs will become Sarpanches for developing panchayats which will get Rs 3 lakh a year, Narega funds, Central and State funds to the tune of Rs 25 lakh.
KCR stated that Telangana will get an additional income of Rs 16,000 crore every year and ST villages get their share for minimum needs. Panchayat Raj Act will be implemented in 12,741 village panchayats, including 2600 to 3000 villages do comprise STs and the thandas should be ruled by the STs. He got nostalgic that during statehood movement that he spent a night in a hut of a Lambadi leader in a district and ate with the community people later. “I came to know about financial problems, failure to perform marriage which needs money for dowry and lack of facilities. Old tradition will continue and the government will provide all help for the development of STs”, he said.
The Chief Minister asked the leaders to transform Thandas into mirrors with more development than the villages. The thandas becoming Village Panchayats will get Mission Bhagairatha potable waters for drinking and there was no problem of power supply.
MP Sitharam Naik, MLA Redya Naik, MLC Ramulu Naik, Telangana Government representative in Delhi Ramachandra Tejavat, MLC and spokesman Karne Prabhakar, former MLA and daughter of Redya Naik, Kavitha and others were present. (NSS)