Festival atmosphere prevailed at the fifth block of the Secretariat at Velagapudi in Amaravati near here with Panchayat Raj and Rural Development and IT Minister Nara Lokesh assuming office on Friday.
Ministers and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders vied with one another to greet Mr. Lokesh, who entered his chambers amid Vedic chants. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) official P. Seshadri blessed him and performed the rituals while JEO Srinivasa Raju presented him with a shawl and prasadam .
Crucial decisions
Mr. Lokesh took three decisions and signed files on his first day in office.
Families which work for 50 days a year will now be recognised as construction workers. This is expected to benefit 30 lakh families. Another file related to extending ₹10,000 for marriage, ₹20,000 as maternity benefits and ₹5 lakh for accident insurance. He also signed a file on provision of LED bulbs to all villages.
The State government has provided bulbs in 450 villages so far and is planning to cover the remaining 12,900 villages in three years. Mr. Lokesh told reporters that the government would take measures to mitigate the drinking water problem. A toll-free number would be started soon.
