Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Tribal Welfare P. Pushpa Srivani has directed Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer Ronanki Gopalakrishna to initiate measures for the issue of Aadhaar cards to the tribal people of Neredubandha, which is on the border of G. Madugula and Ravikamatham mandals in the Agency area of Visakhapatnam district.
The details of the 25 families living in the tribal village, have not been registered in government records. As many as 18 children, who were born in that village, do not even have birth certificates as they were born at their homes as the mothers were not admitted to a hospital for delivery. In the absence of hospital records, the birth certificates were not issued and hence Aadhaar cards could not be issued.
The tribal people have been organising protests for the past sometime seeking issuance of birth certificates and Aadhaar cards to enable them to avail of the benefits of various welfare schemes introduced by the government. The Tribal Welfare Minister gave this direction on coming to know about their problems.
Ms. Srivani contacted the ITDA Project Officer on the phone and told him of the plight of the people of Neredubandha, who were being deprived of various welfare schemes in the absence of Aadhaar cards. All the welfare schemes mandate Aadhaar linking to avail of the benefits. She directed the PO to order a survey and ask the officials concerned to decide under which panchayat Neredubandha falls and later make arrangements for the issue of Aadhaar cards for the villagers. She also directed the PO to take action within two days in this regard.
The ITDA PO has sent an MPDO and a Deputy Tahsildar to the village on Monday and they assured the tribal people of establshing an Aadhaar centre and an anganwadi in a few days, CPI(M) leader K. Govinda Rao said.
