Samatha Divas, the birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram was celebrated across the State on Sunday.
In an official programme held at Anantapur, Deputy Chief Minister K.E. Krishnamurthy said that the social status of SC, ST and backward classes in the country had been bettered to a great extent since the days of 'Dalit stigmatisation' mainly due to the consistent efforts of Babu Jagjivan Ram.
He said that the State government accorded great importance to the development of Dalits and that was reflected in the allocation of Rs 7,000 crores for the SC, ST sub-plan. He praised Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu for his efforts towards realizing such a large budget for the same.
Dwelling on the subject of bifurcation, Mr. Krishnamurthy observed that while the bifurcation was painful, the State government would develop the State in such a way that those who favoured division would start repenting over the mistake'.
"The government shall construct a Babu Jagjivan Ram memorial building in Anantapur commemorating the occasion", said Mr. Kishore Babu. He said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was particular about ensuring all round development of Dalits and backward classes.
At Kakinada, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu garlanded the statue of Babu Jagjivan Ram near the Ladies Club and offered floral tributes.
In a programme organized by the Social Welfare Department at Ambedkar Bhavan, Home Minister N. Chinna Rajappa recalled the services rendered by the late Jagjivan Ram and said that he was known for his commitment towards the uplift of the downtrodden.
He said the State government too was keen on the welfare of scheduled castes and it was implementing several schemes for their benefit.
City MLA Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao presided over the meeting, in which Kakinada MP Tota Narasimham, Amalapuram MP Pandula Ravindra Babu, Zilla Parishad chairman Namana Rambabu, Collector H. Arun Kumar and other officials were present.
Forest Minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy said that the district administration was instructed to identify and make allocation of suitable land for installing the statue of Babu Jagjivan Ram in Chittoor town soon.
Speaking at the birth anniversary of Jagjivan Ram at Ambedkar Bhavan in Chittoor, the minister recalled his sacrifices for the Scheduled Caste and Tribes communities.
Mr. Reddy said that Rs 5 lakh would be sanctioned for constructing a sophisticated kitchen section at the Ambedkar Bhavan.
District Collector Siddarth Jain said that top priority was given to the implementation of various welfare schemes meant for SCs and STs in the district. He sought the students of the downtrodden sections to draw inspiration from Jagjivan Ram's life and make it big in their lives.
Chittoor MP N. Siva Prasad also spoke.
