State to promote organic farming

Minister for agriculture Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said state government will promote organic farming on big scale to reduce the investment cost and achieve good yields and prevent the farmers falling into debt traps and from committing suicides.

He said they will promote organic farming in 15,000 acres with Rs 21 crore in the first phase this year in the state with the funds provided state and central government under the ‘Paramparagath Krishi Vikasa Yojana’ being implemented by the Central government.

Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy was speaking at a meeting organized for distribution of soil health cards to the farmers at Indravelli. He said the progamme will be implemented in 300 clusters in all the mandals and 50 acre in each cluster in the state.

Organic farming would be taken up in 1,600 acres in 34 clusters and meetings with the farmers will be conducted in all the districts to educate the importance of the organic farming while stressing need for reducing use of chemicals in the Agriculture.

Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy promised to send the Poland based company to Adilabad to establish tomato processing unit here as the company was interested in establishing in food processing units in the state.

The Minister said farmers will get minimum support price to their tomato crop and they will get profits if they the company busy the crop from them. Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy inaugurated the cage culture under which fishes will be raised in special methods at Kadam project. 

Teej festival akin to Bathukamma

 

Lambada women playing as part of Teej like in Bathukamma

The nine-day Teej festival celebrated by Lambada tribal women was similar in many respects to Bathukamma celebrated by women folk of other communities in the Telangana.  

Both Teej and Bathukamma festivals have many similarities in celebration and purpose and their link with nature. Both the festivals were women centric and nine-day festivals.

The Teej festival starts on Rakhi pournamy in the month of Sravan and starts with sowing of wheat in woven bowls and which will come up as sprouts later.      

Bathukamma is popularly known as celebration of flowers which was linked to nature especially water bodies and flowers and trees in the village.

Water in the tanks and ponds will get purified with the petals of flowers as petals absorb polluted elements when the Bathukammas are immersed in the tanks and ponds on the last day.

In both the festivals, women pray the Goddess Gouramma (parvathi) in Bathukamma and Jagadamba in Teej for her blessing seeking good husband and married women for the well being of their husbands. In both the festivals, women prepare a special item with the roti mixed with jaggery.     

In both the festivals, women folk dress in colorful costumes and encircle the bowl of sprouts and Bathukammas keeping them in the centre. They clap in rhythm to the folk songs and dance gracefully to the music.

On the ninth day, in both the festivals women take out a procession with their Bathukamma and sprout bowls to local lakes or ponds and immerse them in the water.

Elderly women sing songs while younger women actively participate in the event and married older women guide the younger women in performing customs and rituals attached to Teej in nine days like in Bathukamma festival.

The state government for the first time released Rs 25 lakhs to each district to  celebrate the Teej festival officially recognizing it as state celebration like Bathukamma in the newly formed Telangana state.

Rathod Meenakshi of Utnoor said ‘there are many similarities between Teej and Bathukamma festivals and it seems there was connection between the two festivals and purposes and added that both the festivals will be played for nine –day and  ‘Sprout bowls’ and ‘Bathukammas’ will be immersed in the water bodies on the last day’.

Parents invite all their married daughters to maternal home for Teej festival like for Bathukamma. 

Online cheating of shoppers rises

Online shopping has come in handy for the online fraudsters to cheat the gullible people.

The incidents of online frauds are on the rise in the district. The fraudsters are cheating the gullible people having ATM cards by calling the people posing themselves as bank staff and wanted to clarify their pin number once.

Fraudsters are purchasing various products through online shopping at various prominent sites using the money available in the bank accounts with the ATM in numbers collected by cheating the bank account holders.

There was no mechanism to cross check whether the account holder who was paying money for his shopping was genuine card holder or not.

Unknown persons calling the bank account holders by introducing themselves as ATM servicemen and asking to renew their ATM otherwise it will be blocked soon due to technical problems and asking the details about their Aadhar card and ATM number to renew ATM card.

ATM account holders were asked to tell the number mentioned in the message they will receive and the amount in the bank account will be deducted and victim will receive message to this effect from the bank within no time.

Card holders will realize that they were cheated only on seeing the message they received from the bank stating that he or she was successfully purchased the items or products with the online payment using their ATM.

Vemula Rajaguruvaiah of Itikyala village in Luxettipet mandal was cheated for Rs 22,999 from his SBH bank account of Luxettipet lodged a complaint with the local police stating that an unknown person who collected details of his bank ATM card had purchased one item from online shopping site ‘Flipkart’.

‘One unknown person called with the phone number 9507206057 and introduced himself as Rahul Sharma who spoke in Hindi and asked him to renew ATM card on August18 and cheated me’, Rajaguruvaiah lamented.

One can find posters pasted in the RTC buses and stations offering online ‘relief’ services to the people those were facing problems. One woman of Mancherial was cheated for huge money in the name of offering relief to her family problems few months ago by online Baba.

Unknown persons have been calling the people saying that they were selected for a lottery or gold and asking the bank details to deposit on their names or send them to their addresses. Sometimes, asking to deposit some money to get the money or gold they got in the lottery.

Skill training for youth from poorer background

Students at NAC training in electrical works in Adilabad

A large number of people mostly youngsters from poor family background have been turning up for the training in plumber and electrician works being offered by the National Academy of Construction (NAC). Those interested also include students who completed intermediate studies.

There is huge shortage of trained plumbers and electricians in the construction field. An officer says the students will get placed in various construction companies just after completing their training.

As many as 45 students from surrounding mandals of Adilabad town were undergoing training in electrician work being offered at STEP office by the experts of NAC.

Training to the new batch of 30 members in Plumbing will be given soon. The officials concerned are providing free lunch to the students undergoing training. Chief executive officer of STEP, Adilabad Venkateswarlu said there was a good demand for electrician and house wiring and plumbing.

K. Rakesh of Laxmipur in Jainad who had been a part of the workshop on electrical works said he had joined the training on seeing that there were no trained electricians in their mandal and observed people were ready to pay good charges if they like the work but there was shortage of trained electricians. 

Schoolchildren emerge frontrunners in Haram

 

Two students of a govt school take saplings to their home  

School children have emerged as front runners in planting trees under ‘Haritha Haram’ with awareness generated among them about the necessity of planting trees and pollution control by the eco-clubs in schools under National Green Corps (NGC) and annual science exhibitions in the Adilabad district of Telangana. The students not only planting trees but are also pledging to protect them.

They are even educating their parents about the importance of the good forest cover in bringing about good rains and fresh air and to control pollution, and also against the illegal felling of trees.

Students from both government and private schools are seen taking the saplings from their schools and planting them in their houses.

Science exhibitions organized annually for students by the education department have also played their role in creating awareness.

Officials involved the school students in large numbers in the Haritha Haram programme in the villages and even in the towns. The programme was launched with much fanfare by the state government and Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao, who personally planting trees across the state.

More than 700 trees of different verities are being distributed to each school in the villages and towns under Haritha Haram. After planting 100-150 plants, students are taking the rest to their homes.

Government teacher A. Venkat said teachers have started promoting projects on subjects related to greenery, pollution and forest in the science exhibition.

He observed that programmes under NGC and the Haritha Haram have generated awareness among the school children about the importance of green cover and pollution as a result of which they are planning more trees.

A student Rajeshwar studying VIII class in a local government school said he collected a tree from his school and planted the same in the front yard of his home in Ramnagar colony in the Adilabad town.

Irregularities in sale of subsidised red onions

Subsidized red onions being supplied by the state government has brought great relief to the poor in the wake of skyrocketing prices in the open market.

But apart from the poor ,even some government employees and members of financially sound families are seen queuing up in front of the sales counters for subsidized red onions.

State government is reportedly bearing Rs 29 subsidy amount on each kg red onions which it purchases for Rs 46 per kg from wholesale Lasalgaom market in Nashik in bordering Maharashtra and incurs Rs 3 transport charges per kg. But, it supplies 2 kg of those onions for Rs 20 k per kg to each family.

It is learnt that state government is purchasing huge quantities of red onions from Lasalgaom market for all the districts in the state.

Nearly 230 quintals of subsidized red onion have been distributed to customers on showing Aaadhar card, ration card or any other proof in the last 20 days at Adilabad Rythu Bazar alone.

Long queues were seen in front of the selling counter at Rythu Bazars for subsidized red onions being supplied through marketing department.

Incharge Estate officer of Adilabad Rythu Bazar Jaisheelan said there was good demand for subsidized red onions as the white onions are being sold at Rs 50 -60 per kg in the open market.

There are strong allegations that some of the officials in marketing department are diverting the subsidized red onions to black market and hotels and restaurants due to lack of checks by top officials and that they are not maintaining the details of the sales and customers.

As many as102 tones and 80 kg red onions have been allotted to the Adilabad district so far from August5 and among them 82 tones and 86 kg have been sold till now.

Assistant Director of Marketing T. Srinivas said the state government is bearing nearly Rs 29 on each kg red onions and added that two or more members of the same family are taking subsidized onions with their individual Aaadhar cards and opined that it would be good if ration card is made as identity proof to check this.

Diseases : Adivasi kids turn orphans

Kudimetha Revati   

More than 600 Adivasi children have been orphaned with their parents having succumbed to seasonal diseases in the Agency areas in the Adilabad district of Telangana in the last 18 years.

Outbreak of viral fever, diarrhea, dengue and malaria fevers besides anemia have caused deaths of many Adivasis.

In many cases, all the family members or majority of them fallen got afflicted by seasonal diseases in the Agency areas.  

Risk from seasonal diseases is aggravated owing to less immunity in Adivasi people due to lack of nutritious food, polluted drinking water, poor sanitation and untimely medical treatment.

Most Adivasi orphaned children are in the age group of 4 years to 15 years. Not just parents, many children bellow 5 years have also succumbed to seasonal diseases.

Kudimetha Revati,8, lost her parents Shakunthala and Nagorao to seasonal diseases two years ago. 

Her grandfather Kudimetha Bojju now looks after her, her brother Vinayak and sister Anasurya in Pullala village in Sirpur( U) mandal. Revati and Vinayak have been suffering from malaria for the last four days.

One can find many orphans like Revati, Vinayak and Nagorao in the Adivasis gudems in the district, growing on their own without any governments support and care.

Revati’s aged grandfather Kudimetha Bojju, looking after his grandchildren, is worried about their future as he may not live long. 

He hopes the state government steps forward to rescue his grandchildren in the absence of guardians.  On few occasions, government officials and NGOs have intervened and put orphans in hostels meant for them.

Many orphaned Adivasis children were seen roaming in the gudems without work and some of them have ended up as cattle grazers with bleak future.

It is estimated that there were 1,500 orphan children of all categories and nearly 40 percent of them are from Adivasi communities in the district. State co-convenor of Child Rights Forum and district committee member of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Meerza Yakoob Baig said more than 600 Adivasi children have been orphaned in the Adivasi gudems in the last 18 years.

He observed that child marriages were also resulted in deaths of parents at an early age and added that there were only four child homes for orphaned girls and only two open shelter homes for boys in the district.

Issue of large number of Adivasi orphans came up for discussion during Dr Shantha Sinha, then Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, visited the Adivasi gudems in the Narnoor mandal in the Adilabad district following the outbreak of seasonal diseases in 2008.   

Pranahita-Chevella poses a challenge

 KCR is discussing on re-designing   

An effort for redesigning Dr B.R Ambedkar Pranahitha- Chevella Sujala Sravanti Lift irrigation project by the state government has created tension not only among the people of Adilabad district but also in the state.

The efforts for redesigning the Pranahitha- Chevella poses new challenges regarding sharing of river water within the districts in the state like between the two states.

It also creates many doubts on their due share of the water in the project and basis for giving priority to give water to various districts.

The issue of the re-designing of various irrigation projects proposed during the Congress government came to light with the news that state government was planning to shift the project of Pranahitha- Chevella site to Kaleshwaram in Karimnagar from the existing Thummidihatti in Kuatala mandal of Adilabad.

The proposal for dividing the Pranahitha- Chevella irrigation and constructing at two places in Adilabad and Karimnagar gave enough ammunition to the opposition parties to fight against the state government.

Now, all the major political parties joined the bandwagon against shifting the site or dividing the Panahitha – Chevella project.     

All the major political parties Congress, CPI, BJP, CPI (ML-New Democracy), CPM have launched agitation against state government’s decision to construct same project at two places or shifting the project site. The issue is snowballing into major controversy.

The state government arguing that the construction of Pranahitha- Chevella with the present design was not viable.

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao made it clear during his recent visit to Adilabad that the redesigning of the Pranahitha- Chevella will give water to more acres of lands than the earlier proposed ayacut under the old design of the project.

Leaders of various political parties alleged that Chief Minister was making efforts to take major share of water to his own Medak district from the Pranahitha- Chevalla with redesigning the project with no priority to the needs of people of the Adilabad.

Minister tells Adivasis to shun superstitions

Health minister checking health of Adivasi child

Health Minister Dr C. Laxma Reddy said Adivasis still believe in superstitions which indirectly affecting their health and causing even causes death.

He appealed to the Adivasis to give up their belief in superstitions and take medical treatment for the good health and protect themselves from the diseases.

Minister asked the members of youth associations, community elders to educate the community people against the superstitions. He said a special ward in RIMS will be reserved for Tribal patients come across the district for treatment. 

Along with Ministers Jogu Ramanna and Allola Indrakran Reddy, health minister Laxma Reddy visited the Adivasi gudems where incidents of viral fevers, malaria positive cases and deaths were reported in Sirpur (U) and Jainoor mandals.

‘Some of the Adivasis not even going to hospital for treatment and instead taking traditional medicines made of herbs, he observed and said it was high time Adivasis change themselves and use modern medical treatment offered by the state government’.

The minister said efforts would be made to give nutritious food to Adivasis suffering from anemia to improve their immunity.  

During his visit, Mr Laxma Reddy admitted that there were cases of fevers but not in large numbers and directed the officials concerned to shift all the Adivasis including children suffering from malaria and viral fevers to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad.

Some of the Adivasis of  Pullara village in Sirpur (U) complained to the ministers that the doctors ad staff of the PHCs are not giving them treatments citing that they do not come under their jurisdiction and advising them to go another PHCs which were far away from their native villages.

The health minister expressed displeasure over not shifting the villagers suffering from fevers to Adilabad for better treatment and for not attending the patients seriously while stressing upon the sanitation, drinking potable water.       

Mr Laxma Reddy surprised when Asifabad MLA Kova Laxmi explained him some of the traditions practiced with regard to lactating women and just born babies by the Adivasis.

Health minister also inspected government hospitals at Jainoor and Utnoor and promised to upgrade the hospitals as community health center and 100 bedded hospital respectively.   

Adivasis observe Shivabodi to protect from diseases

Adivasis hang goat to a tree along with discarded baskets

The Adivasis observes the typical ‘Shivabodi’ event to ward off evil forces and for the protection of their villages and people from seasonal diseases which were prevalent in the rainy season.

The Adivasis even today appease evil forces with sacrificing goats and chicken to get rid off from their effects.  

To get rid off ill- effects of witchcraft, Adivasis offer goat, chicken to the evil forces on the outskirts of the village to feed the evil forces and prevent them from entering the village.           

Adivasi hang ‘killed’ goats and chicken along with the discarded basket and other damaged items to the trees on the outskirts of their villages. Adivasis perform Shivabodi event during the in all the gudems.

Adivasis will stuff the goat with the leaves and giving a shape like a goat after skinning and taking all the meat out of it and hang the ‘goat’ to the tree along with the discarded material.

“Adivasi leader Atram Bhujangarao said Adivasi perform Shivabodi in the beginning of the Akadi (Tholi Ekadashi) to ward off evil forces as it was the time  people and cattle get affected with diseases and died or fell sick.

‘The Adivasis believe that evil forces and witchcraft cause diseases but the  fact is poor sanitation, drinking contaminated water and lack of immunity power,said Bujangarao and added that government should create an awareness among the Adivasis against evil forces and witchcraft and about sanitation and eating traditional food grains they cultivate to improve their immunity power’.

On the Shivabodi, the Adivasis start walking on the walking stilts (made of Bamboo) during the rainy season to avoid getting affected with the diseases caused by slush and dirt in their villages. 

After one month, the Adivasis of the village will go to the same place where they hanged the goat and throw away walking stilts there on day of Polala Amavasya. 

Nominated posts stir differences

The news that is making rounds in the political circles that state government is likely fill up nominated posts soon is creating differences among the leaders of TRS those were aspiring posts in the party.

Two senior TRS leaders those were aspiring nominated posts had exchanged blows after heated arguments over their eligibility for the posts recently in the Adilabad town. Now it has become talk of the district.

There was huge competition for the post of the Adilabad Market committee and leaders divided into two groups and intensified their effort to grab the post and there was infighting of then post among the party leaders.

It is learnt that, Jogu Ramanna took the senior TRS leader involved in the fighti9ng with him to Kerala tour to pacify him and subside the incident just after the incident took place.                

Good growth of cotton, soya brings cheer to farmers

After a gap of thee years, cotton and soya farmers are elated over good growth of the plants due to timely rains and they are expecting good yield this season unlike like last three seasons.

But, the cultivation area has come down when compared to expected area due to huge delay in monsoon. Rain fed crops got sufficient rainfall in Kharif but paddy suffered a lot.     

Farmers say that the timely rains saved their crops otherwise the situation would be worst, as they had lost three successive seasons due to drought conditions and incurred huge loss.

Cotton farmers were busy in operations of weeding and spraying chemicals to the plants. On the other hand, farmers did not get institutional financial support this season and not much benefit out of crop loan wavier by the state government.

At many places, bankers did not give crop loan to the tenant farmers as usual this season also despite having eligibility certificates issued to the tenant farmers by the state government.

Meanwhile, paddy cultivation has begun little late waiting for rains and gradually picked up the paddy operations across the district.

There was a lot of confusion in disbursement of fresh crop loans to the farmers by the bankers and no authority was ready to clear the doubts raised on crop loans and crop loan waiver and charging interest by the farmers. 

Various crops were cultivated only in 5.10 lakh hectors against the expected area 5.70 lakh hectares in the district in Kharif. Cotton was sown in 3.15 lakh hectares against 3.50 lalkh hectares and Soya in 93,000 hectares against 1.25 lakh hectare and paddy in 14,000 hectares against he expected 56,000 hectares while Redgram in 46,000 hectares where as the expected area was just 42,000 hectares in the district.

According to official sources out of total 52 mandals, 14 mandals were facing deficit rainfall , 19 mandals received excess rainfall and Jannaram, Madamarri and  Kasipet mandals were facing scanty rainfall. There was 20 percent deficit of rainfall as only 596.2 mm rain fall received against the 743.4 mm rainfall by this time in the district.      

Farmer J. Dashrath of Ichoda expressed happiness over growth the cotton plants due to timely rains unlike in the last three seasons and hoped that they would get good yield this time.

Mission Kakatiya turns a boon

Katakam Gangaiah at tank in Yapalguda 

Some of the tanks and ponds revived under Mission Kakatiya have helped farmers cultivate paddy in their lands situated close by this Karif despite insufficient rainfall.

This Kharif season, some of the farmers cultivated paddy in their agriculture lands despite scanty rain fall.

Mission Kakatiya managed to bring in some positive results though the tank revival works were not up to the expectations due to many loopholes in the procedures, officials and contractors indulging in corrupt practices in taking up tank revival works. It overall impact, however, can be measured only after four year’s time.   

The tanks revived with de-siltation and strengthening bund saw increased water storage capacity which has helped mitigate the effects of the deficit rainfall this monsoon.

Such tanks are contributing a lot to the raise in the ayacut under newly revived tanks under Mission Kakatiya.

Katakam Gangaiah of Yapalguda in Adilabad was seen in cultivating paddy in his three acre land and seemed confident of being able to cultivate cotton in the Rabi with Komatikunta tank revived recently to store enough rainwater. All this on account of Mission Kakatiya.

‘Last Karif season saw no cultivation of paddy due to drought condition and not enough water in the tank but things have changed a lot with the revival of the tank in the summer’, said Gangaiah.

The agriculture laborers of Khanapur colony of the Adilabad, planting paddy in Gangaiah’s land, expressed happiness over getting work in this agriculture season unlike last one.

On the other hand, youth and middle- aged men flock to Komatikunta tank for fishing these days as there was good water in the tank after its revival under Mission Kakatiya.

At the same time, many birds are visiting Komatikunta tank these days for insects and fish and it was also seen some of the birds set up nests on the trees around the tank and forest plantation.

Schoolkids perform to drumbeats

Adivasis students dancing to tunes of their traditional songs

Independence Day celebration was a riot of colour with the cultural performance of children and their participation in large numbers unlike Telangana Formation Day celebrations.

There were huge crowds in the police headquarters grounds to watch the celebrations.

Compared to the lesser participation of children in the Telangana Formation Day due to summer vacation, I-Day saw an active participation, the road leading to the police headquarters was jam packed with the school children and police head quarters ground where the main official function was organized was filled with the  hundreds of  students to watch the event.

Traditional drum beats of the Adivasis reverberated in the grounds while Adivasi girls danced to their traditional songs by the girl students of Tribal Ashram school of Umri in Talamadugu mandal.

Girl students of government schools and hostels and private schools of Adilabad town and surrounding mandals in large numbers performed cultural programmes on the occasion.

Private schools competed dancing to selected tunes. A dance troupe comprising 101 students performed a dance on Telangana culture. A teacher said any programme is incomplete without the participation of children who add colour and life.

Flag hoisted at 10 am

Money lenders fleece farmers

 The prolonged drought conditions have come as a boon for money lenders who are         popularly known as cotton commission agents in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

Money lenders or middlemen, who are popularly known as cotton commission agents who give loans and sell agriculture inputs to the farmers had amassed large tracts of agriculture lands and became land lords by exploiting the farmers.

Most of the cotton commission agents forced the farmers to mortgage their lands or register farmers’ lands in their names to give crop loans. Such incidents are on the rise in the recent years due prolonged dry spell and prevailing drought conditions.

Middlemen are not giving loans to the farmers without mortgaging the land unlike in the past.

Earlier, these agents used to give loans to the farmers and there was good will among them, but they suspect that farmers may not repay loans in the wake of continuous drought conditions in the last three seasons. So they buy same land by   fixing a price if the farmers failed to repay the loan. The farmers have to bear the expenses of the land mutation in the name of cotton commission agent.

The cotton commission agents will return the land transfer documents after cancelling land mutation if farmer repays the loan.    

It is said that now each money lender or cotton commission agent have nearly 150- 300 acres of agriculture lands with them which were mortgaged by distressed farmers for loans.

There was every possibility of becoming owner of that land if the farmer failed to repay the loan due to mounting interest for a given time.

Farmer Naveen of Pochera in Adilabad mandal said ‘cotton commission agents charge 20-25 interest per annum on the loans they give to the farmers and most of the times the interest will be calculated for six months and farmers repay their loans but cotton commission agents charge for the one year period.

The cotton commission agents sell the pesticides, fertilizers and seeds at exorbitant prices and charge additional interest on the already hiked prices of agriculture inputs.      

The cotton commission agents have became popular and powerful over a period of time with the increased cultivation of cotton in the Adilabad , Utnoor divisions and became mediators to the owners of the private cotton ginning and pressing factories in and around the Adilabad town.

Some of the cotton commission agents in the Adilabad division became so strong that even they were funding to the political leaders contesting in the elections and few cotton commission agents have started showing their wealth lavishly constructing posh buildings worth crores of rupees.

Play active role in Grama Jyoti, Ministers tell villagers

Ministers go through guidelines of Gramajyoti 

Minister or forest and environment Jogu Ramanna said the state government was encouraging the people through Grama Jyoti to create development works which can be done through ‘Shramadanam’ by the villagers instead of spending funds.

He elaborated that there were many works which can be done with Shramadanam like laying gravel roads, sanitation and eradication of open defecation, planting trees and filling the ditches and patching the potholes on the roads.

While attending an awareness meeting on the scheme to the elected public representatives of local bodies and MLAs in Adilabad, Jogu Ramanna said people should not think that they shelved the ‘Mana Vooru Mana  Pranalika’ programme.

He added that Grama Jyoti to be implemented based on the data collected through Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika only and Grama Jyoti was extension to it.

Endowments Minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy said that Adilabad district will get Rs 2,413 crore funds in four years under Grama Jyoti for the development of the works in villages.

He appealed to the people to actively take part in the Grama Jyoti programme to be held from August 17 to 23 and added that officials and elected public representatives would stay during night in the villages for three days that is August 19 to 21 during progamme.

Indrakaran Reddy said works passed by Grama Sabha only will be taken up during the programme and that the village leaders, sarpanch and elected representatives of local bodies should decided the needs of the villagers. 

Minister said people should themselves in the Grama Jyoti to convert their villages as model villages like Gangadevipalli in Warangal, Ankapoor in Nizamabad , Mulkanoor in Karimnagar.

Village schemes confused people

  

Most of the villagers, Sarpanches and other elected representatives of local bodies were confused with no much difference between ‘Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika’ launched in the past and now Grama Jyoti schemes introduced by the TRS government in the state.

There is not much difference between the two schemes except the date of launch. The former was launched recent past and the latter would be launched on August17. 

The both the schemes are similar in many of the aspects. There is not much difference between the two programs as far as action plan for the development of the gram panchayats.

Even the officials, who attended meeting on Grama jyoti held in Hyderbad, kept talking, in low voices,that the only difference is telling the people in grampanchayats about their limited funds they get from various central government schemes like 14^th Finance Commission, BRGF, SC and ST sub-plan for the development under Gram jyoti unlike Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika for which funds were assured by state government.

However, officials concerned say that state government wants to be practical with regard to development works to be taken up in gram panchayats and required funds to complete them in the Grama Jyoti unlike ‘Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika’.

A senior officer of district planning dpartment said, ‘the developmental works proposed under Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika are impractical as they are huge in numbers and the works required hundreds of crore.

‘Works relating to CC road, worth Rs 10 crore, were proposed in a village under Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika and providing such a huge funds for roads in a single village was difficult for the government ’.

The officer said the state government is replicating development models of Grampanchayats successful in Kerala and Orissa under Grama Jyoti.

State government is showing the funds to be allotted to the Gram Panchayats under various schemes being implemented by the state and central government.

K. Rajeshwar of Talamadugu opined that it seems that both the ‘Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika’ and Grama Jyoti were similar in many aspects and added that how the state government will go for new works without completing the works proposed under Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika.

‘I do not understand the logic behind announcing many schemes with same model for the development of the grampanchayats’, he said.

TRS-Affiliated coal union calls strike

The TRS affiliated recognized trade union at Singareni Boggugani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), has sent tremors of sorts in the ruling TRS party by serving the strike notice for an indefinite strike from September2 if their 53 demands are not met.

Nizamabad MP K.Kavitha is the acting honorary president of the TBGKS. The move is perceived as revolt of kind against the party and top leadership. It is learnt that the strike notice was served without her knowledge. The strike notice is being seen as a revolt of sorts against the party.  

Various trade unions at Singareni have been agitating for long time demanding that state government to pay the salary for the period of Sakala Janula Samme in which they participated during the Telangana agitation. They also want jobs for dependents, 25 percent bonus as a share in the profits in SCCL for the 2014-15.

TBGKS took the nationwide one –day token strike call given by the national trade unions for September 2 as the opportunity for its strike notice. 

The national unions gave call for nationwide strike in protest against the central government’s industrial policies and efforts to amend 47 Acts against the workers, employees and farmers’ welfare on September2. TBGKS is supporting the national wide strike.

It all started with the TRS party high command’s decision to merge both the Singareni Collieries Labors Union and TBGKS and form a new trade union and to appoint B. Venkat Rao as the president of the new union if Venkatrao join the party.

Congress party MLC B.Venkat Rao is acting as working president of Singareni Collieries Labors Union and Sanjeev Reddy is president of this union affiliated to the INTUC.

Both the groups in TBGKS led by former president Kengarla Mallaiah and Miryala Rajireddy were strongly opposing the merger proposals and handing over the leadership to Venkatrao.

The TBGKS leaders say that Venkatrao was an outsider and how he will be made leader of the new union after the merger of two unions against the wishes of the TBGKS leaders and its members.

A senior leader of TBGKS, said they built the TBGKS with brick by brick facing many hardships during the Telangana agitation and the union has emerged as recognized trade union over a period of time and added that Venkat Rao was nothing to do with the TBGKS and its growth.

Only 11 months period has left for the recognized trade union TBGKS and Venkatrao is reportedly trying to grab the opportunity to lead the organization for this period. TBGKS is called for general body meeting in Kothagudem in Khammam on August16 to decide future course of action.