Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Chamber president Babu Rajendra Prasad has alleged that the village sarpanches are in dire straits and they have been reduced to mere showpieces.
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Addressing a media conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Rajendra Prasad alleged that the funds meant for provision of basic infrastructure in the rural areas in the State were diverted by the State government for other needs. He alleged that ₹760 crore was diverted and ₹370 crore of the 15th Finance Commission funds were also diverted by the State government.
He alleged that while ₹3,000 crore was allocated to village and ward secretariats, no allocations were made to the panchayats and corporations. He said that the honour being given to village volunteers was not being given to elected representatives. He demanded that the sarpanches and MPTC members be given ₹15,000 as honorarium.
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Former MLC Buddha Naga Jagadeeswara Rao flayed Minister for Animal Husbandry for his comments against TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh. He said that Mr. Lokesh would come to North Andhra again in September.
Earlier, a coordination committee meeting of the party was held at the party office in which former Home Minister N. Chinarajappa, MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, party leader M. Sri Bharat and former MLA s and party leaders participated.
TDP Parliament district president Palla Srinivasa Rao said that the meeting discussed on finalisation of the party nominee for the MLC elections and protocol issues in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC).
A poster on the protest, to be held under the aegis of Telugu Nadu Students Federation (TNSF), on the ‘Vidya Aagraha Deeksha’ to be held on August 28 against ‘lopsided education polices’, was released on the occasion.