Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that all the three major lift irrigations schemes - Kalwakurthy, Bheema and Nettampad - taken up under Jalayagnam in the district would be completed before the 2014 Assembly elections.
Addressing an impressive meeting after inaugurating the first phase of Nettampad lift irrigation scheme, the Chief Minister said 31 lakh acres additional ayacut would be created by June 2014 in the State.
He said over 8 lakh acres of land would be brought into cultivation in the perennially drought-hit district of Mahabubnagar by spending Rs. 6,500 crore. Nettampad project alone aims at irrigating 2 lakh acres in Gadwal and Alampur constituencies.
The Chief Minister on his first day of the three-day tour as part of Indiramma Bata in the district announced several sops, some for physically challenged persons and listed out the programmes being taken up by the government for their welfare.
Launching the mass contact programme in Devarakadra mandal headquarters on Friday, the Chief Minister said by the end of this year, 40,000 disabled self help groups would get Rs.600 crore. Of these, already 14,300 groups had been provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs.212 crore.
The Rajiv Vidya Mission would set up 385 centres with a cost of Rs.300 crore to provide advanced tri-cycles and aids.
So far, eight lakh disabled persons were getting monthly pension of Rs.500 each, he said adding that one lakh additional disabled persons have been screened and declared eligible for assistance and pensions.
Participating in another programme at Marikal village in Dhanwada mandal, the Chief Minister said the State government was taking all measures to help sheep and goat-rearers.
Interacting with them, he said out of the Rs.100 crore released by the National Cooperative Development Corporation, Rs.65 crore was released for Mahabubnagar district.
The Chief Minister later laid the foundation stone for electricity sub stations at Terlapalli (Narayanpet mandal) and Peddanandigam (Kodangal manda), marketing godown, model school and integrated hostel for girls and protected drinking water schemes at Kodangal and Dhanwada mandals.
