The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to implement a slew of measures including construction of over six lakh houses for dalits and oppressed under the weaker sections housing programme in connection with the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
The State government has decided to construct Dr. B.R. Ambedkar memorial on a sprawling 15-acre site in the new capital Amaravati. The memorial will consist of a park, convention centre, Buddhist meditation hall and a library besides a gallery encompassing the important events in the life of the architect of the Constitution. In addition, it was proposed to erect a 125-foot statue of Dr. Ambedkar as part of the memorial.
Announcing this in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the government decided to convert all the ST hostels into residential educational institutions during the current year and upgrade all social welfare hostels into residential schools in the next three years to enable the deprived sections get quality education. It was proposed to bring the management of tribal institutions under one umbrella for better quality management.
He said the government’s focus would be on improving the education and health standards of tribal people and dalits by upgrading the institutions run by the respective departments. In addition, it was proposed to focus on economic development activities of the tribal people with emphasis on products like organic coffee, geographical indication tag for turmeric and promotion of potato cultivation, organic cashew, vegetable cultivation and better marketing with value addition.
Better branding and marketing of organic products through engagement of professional business consultants and skill development activities for at least one lakh members a year for ensuring gainful employment were among the measures. The government also relaxed the five-acre norm as eligibility criterion for economic support schemes like horticulture, NTR Jalasri, and other schemes.
On the infrastructure development front, it was proposed to cover all the SC/ST habitations with CC internal roads, provision of safe drinking water under NTR sujala pathakam, construction of tribal museum at Visakhapatnam, electrification of all non-electrified habitations, provision of more LED lamps as well as waiver of power supply charges of up to 50 units a month and according priority to infrastructure development in all schools and educational institutions.
Jagan picks holes
The main Opposition YSR Congress, however, dismissed the government’s claims stating that the huge difference in the allocations made and actual amounts spent for the welfare of the SC/ST communities was an indicator to the hollowness of the assurances. Quoting from the statistics, Opposition leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy alleged that the government was unable to spend the funds earmarked for the SC/ST communities while it was diverting the funds granted by the Central government under the NREGA to other works.
He alleged that the NREGA, which had 100 per cent wage component was, however, diluted subsequently as a result of which the material component was steadily rising.
According to the government’s own figures, over 1.7 crore people registered themselves under the NREGA, while the government had provided employment to little over 59 lakh people.
