Members of the ‘Challa Yanadi’ tribal community spread over different mandals in Nellore district took part in a rally here on Tuesday in support of their various demands including creation of a special development corporation for their welfare.
The tribals gathered at the Old Madras bus stand area and went in a rally to the KVR Petrol Bunk in a demonstration of their united struggle for getting a better deal from the government.
MLC Beeda Ravichandra, Mayor Abdul Aziz and other leaders expressed their solidarity with the tribals and took part in the rally during the day. The programme was organised by the Andhra Pradesh State Yanadi Tribal Federation.
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Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ravichandra said that the Challa Yanadis were among the primitive tribal communities and they should be given all support by taking all the necessary steps. He said that the condition of Yanadi tribals was yet to be improved in many parts of the district.
Major demands
Among the major demands of these tribals, there was the issue of fishing rights in the local tanks, canals, drains and also reservoirs. For long, they had been seeking the right for fishing for them. Once again, they brought the issue to the fore now.
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Yanadi Federation state president Gandalla Sriramulu said that if the special yanadi tribal development corporation was created, it would help take definite measures for the overall wellbeing of this category of tribals who constituted the largest group among tribals in the State.
Mr. Sriramulu wanted the yanadi fishermen societies to be formed wherever necessary so as to enable them eke out their livelihoods without any interruption or disturbance due to local conflicts.
The speakers on the occasion also touched upon the issue of empowering yanadi tribal women by taking special steps with the help of ‘Matsya Mitra groups’. They should be given rights to fishing and selling the fish locally without any hurdles. If Rs. 10 cr revolving fund was created for these tribal women’s groups, it would greatly improve their living conditions.
Yanadi Federation honorary president Sk. Basheer said that the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies should be formed in all the districts where their populations were in significant numbers.
These districts were identified as Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari.