Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy on Monday informed the Telangana Assembly that the `Adarsha Rytu' scheme of the previous Congress Government has been abolished. It was meant to offer extension services to farmers, but its activists were not up to mark, he added.
Replying to a question on the scheme, Mr. Reddy said that the Government had appointed auto and tractor drivers under the scheme who had no knowledge about agriculture but drew a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1,000. The activists were appointed in violation of the norm that they hold two-and-a-half acres of wet and five acres of dry land. The TRS Government had decided to employ Assistant Agriculture Extension Officers in their place after they were summarily removed on September 24 last.
Congress MLA T. Jeevan Reddy questioned the Government whether it served the statutory three-month notice before removing them. The Minister replied that the arrears of activists were cleared before relieving them of responsibilities. However, a sum of Rs. 3.72 crore outstanding in Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Mahbubnagar till the formation of the State on June 2, was yet to be paid.
Land to communities
Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari said in his reply to another question that the Government had asked the Advocate General to file a counter affidavit in High Court against a petition challenging allotment of land in the city for construction of bhavans by various communities. He said that the court had ordered status quo after the Government gave lands for construction of Babu Jagjivan Ram, Kumaram Bheem Adivasi and Banjara Bhavans.
G. Kishan Reddy of BJP said that the Government was misled by officials into giving away lands that were already allotted to others.
Backward Classes Welfare Minister Jogu Ramanna said that the Government will shortly constitute a Backward Classes Commission which will be asked to examine whether the Chippolu or Meru community could be shifted from `D' to `A' category of the Backward Classes. The community was involved in tailoring and, therefore, it should be included in `A' category reserved for castes identified with trades, said TRS MLA M. Sudhir Reddy.
