Day 2 Of Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary: Depressing Tales Of All-round Suffering
November 7, 2017
Nelathimmayapalle, YSR District: It took me all of six hours to cross Vempalle! I failed to understand if I should feel happy at the unbounded love that people have for me or feel saddened on hearing depressing tales of woe all along the way. Vempalle alone can offer countless examples of the TDP misrule—a senior citizen in tears over her pension being cancelled or a youth eagerly asking when he would get a job or a shelterless man complaining about a house not sanctioned. Such tales of distress dot the whole route, every step of the way. Ahead of the Yatra, I met with party workers and the litany of problems they narrated had left me deeply moved. To me, these tragic stories sounded like a powerful indictment of the anti-people rule in Andhra Pradesh.
I interacted with the villagers as part of the Racha Banda. Saramma, a senior citizen who lost her husband six months ago, is penury personified. She hasn't been getting the 'widow pension.' The heartless powers that be have watered down the pension scheme, envisioned by late YS Rajasekhara Reddy as a source of succour and support for the elders. Mariyamma, another senior citizen, has no one to take care of her. She too hasn't been getting any support from the State Government. I asked local MP Avinash to get her admitted into a senior citizens' home. I could solve her problem as it was my constituency. But, what about the countless Mariyammas dotting the length and breadth of the state? This spurred me to announce that once our government is formed, we will construct houses for every homeless person and provide a senior citizens' home in every mandal, complete with medical and health facilities.
Most people have complained about the unreasonably high and hugely burdensome power bills. I gave my solemn assurance to the people of AP to provide free power supply to every ST, SC colony in the state. Ratnalu, a young girl, complained to me that she had remained jobless despite the fact that she has a BEd degree. When the TDP took reins of power, AP had 1.42 lakh job vacancies. Not one of them has been filled during the last four years. This government is deaf to the wails of the unemployed. I would like to tell Ratnalu that regardless of whether this heartless dispensation does anything to mitigate her woe, we will fill all the vacant posts once we come to power. We will announce DSC so that youth like her can become teachers.
We have to achieve Special Category State Status, come what may. This alone can spur industrial growth and ensure job creation. But, this spineless Government doesn't have the will to achieve it. A steel factory in Kadapa is my late father's fondest dream. Though feasible, the Government is not doing anything for this. I have resolved to launch the construction of the steel factory within six months of coming to power and complete it in three years so that thousands of eligible youth become employed.
I also met Jayanna, a tenant farmer. He secured a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh to sow cotton in three acres only to suffer crop loss. There are over 25 lakh sharecroppers like Jayanna. But, the government has neither the time nor patience to listen to them. I also met a delegation of teachers at Vempalle. They too had their list of problems that begged for a sympathetic ear and affirmative action. They were happy that I understood their problems and thanked me for my assurance to them on the contributory pension scheme during my speech at Idupulapaya. They blessed me and prayed for YSRCP’s success in coming to power in the elections this time around. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. I covered 12.8 km on Tuesday. I retire for the night at Nelathimmayapalli.
Finally, here is my question to the Government!!
- What is the number of the poor persons who are eligible for social security pensions?
- How many of them are being given pensions now?
- How many were dropped from the list?
- Can you provide the details?
