The fact that ordinary ration cards were being issued to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG, formerly known as PTGs) in spite of the Supreme Court orders, while they should get Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) cards would be taken up with Commissioner of Civil Supplies, former Principal Secretary Chaya Ratan has assured tribal people.
She was speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day district-level girijan youth convention organised by the AP Vyavasaya Vrittidarula Union (APVVU) at Tamarapalli under Anjali Sanivaram Gram Panchayat in Chintapalli mandal on Wednesday.
Referring to the skits presented by the APVVU volunteers on how the girijans were still being fleeced by private money lenders and private traders who use the banned measure ‘kuncham’ while buying forest produce, Ms. Chaya Ratan regretted that these practices were still continuing. She advised the tribal youth not to cultivate bad habits and ensure that the anganwadis function properly since they help a lot in the growth of children.
Founder-convenor of the UFRTI, a body promoting the Right to Information Act, B. Ramakrishna Raju, regretted that people had “handed over keys to the thieves” by electing persons who have no understanding of people’s issues and problems.
People’s representatives would not bother about the poor as soon as they get elected and it was the responsibility of the people to elect a proper person and not get influenced by inducements during an election, he added.
APVVU general secretary P.S. Ajay Kumar explained how the Supreme Court’s orders on employment guarantee scheme, Forest Rights Act and Food Security Act were being ignored.
More than 120 volunteers from 14 gram panchayats of Chintapalli and G. Madugula attended the meeting.
