The Cabinet on Friday decided to create Department of Tribal Welfare by hiving it off from the Social Welfare Department to ensure effective monitoring and implementation of the sub-plan launched for Scheduled Tribes in the State.
Two new sections will be created and added to the existing eight sections in the Social Welfare Department which are now dealing with subject of tribal welfare. Besides, a special secretary, one joint secretary, three section officers and four assistant sections officers will be appointed in the Secretariat.
Speaking to reporters later, Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju described the decision as a “giant step” by the Kiran Reddy Government for uplift of the tribal people.
The Council of Ministers also resolved to undertake the mass contact programme, ‘Rachabanda’ after the panchayat elections with the agenda of issuing ration cards, sanction letters of Indiramma houses and old-age pensions, based on the applications received earlier.
It was decided that every Minister would personally monitor ‘Amma Hastham’ in his/her respective district and ensure that the nine essential commodities reached the beneficiaries. “People should not get disappointed. We made a commitment. And we have to provide these to the beneficiaries at any cost,” the Chief Minister observed. The Cabinet ratified the CM's decision to fill 34,000 posts, including that of teachers, and cleared specific proposals made by some departments for certain number of posts.
