Speed up ration delivery: Uttam
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President of N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday demanded that the government speed up the process of providing free rice and monetary relief to people, especially the poor.
He was speaking to the media after flagging off transportation of 1.5 lakh sanitiser bottles to Jadcherla constituency from Gandhi Bhavan. The sanitiser bottles have been donated by TPCC coordinator Anirudh Reddy. The state Congress chief said reports from the districts are quite disturbing. “People have been locked out since March 22. Daily wage earners, small traders, vendors, drivers and others from unorganised sectors have remained without any source of livelihood since the last 15 days. In addition to 87 lakh white ration cardholders, there are lakhs of other families who are now solely dependent on help extended by the state government.”
Mr Reddy disputed official claims of relief being provided to BPL families and migrant workers. He declared that not even 30 per cent of beneficiaries have got the promised 12 kg free rice and not a single rupee has been credited to their accounts so far. Similarly, not even 20 per cent of over 3 lakh migrant workers stranded in the state have got 10 kg of rice and `500 cash from the government. He demanded that 5 kg of rice per person announced by the central government be delivered immediately.
“As a responsible opposition, Congress is trying to play a constructive role by identifying lapses of the government and suggesting corrective measures. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao must convene an all-party meeting, at least through video-conferencing, to ascertain the views of other parties and take their suggestions into consideration,” the TPCC chief said.
He slammed the Centre for the slow pace of relief and assistance being extended to states. He said the Centre had promised one free LPG cylinder for three months to beneficiaries of the Ujwala scheme. As beneficiaries of this scheme are very few in Telangana state, he demanded that the free cylinder be provided to those coming under of Deepam scheme.
Mr Reddy said the Centre’s assistance of just `11,000 crore to states was too little and too late.
He inspected the functioning of corona relief measures control room established at the Gandhi Bhavan. He later inaugurated a grain procurement centre at Mallepally mandal in Devarkonda constituency of Nalgonda district.