In what is being claimed as never-before-initiative, the Telugu Desam Party will, on November 3, roll out a membership drive that will provide a Rs. 2 lakh accident insurance for active members in the event of death and Rs. 50,000 depending on the severity of injuries sustained. The party would also take care of education of two children in each family in the event the head of the family lost his life.
At his maiden press conference here on Thursday, Nara Lokesh, TDP’s coordinator for cadre welfare and son of party supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, said his party had set itself a target of enrolling 18 lakh to 25 lakh people in a month. Mr. Lokesh said 1,600 youngsters armed with tablets (personal computers) will visit each and every village in the two States and enrol ordinary members (at a fee of Rs. 10) and active members (Rs. 100).
He said the party will tie up with 27 hospitals which would treat their cadres on the basis of the identity card and the insurance package that came with it. “In two years, we wish to take the number of hospitals who will treat our cadres, to 200,” he said. Party’s Election Committee Convenors E. Peddi Reddy (Telangana) and Kala Venkata Rao (AP) were present at the media conference.