The Hindu : YSR seeks social security net for the rural poor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 21, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

YSR seeks social security net for the rural poor

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD June 20. The CLP leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has urged the Government to evolve a comprehensive social security system to help the poor and marginalised people of society.

Interacting with mediapersons at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists here on Friday, Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy said a large number of people living in the rural areas had no regular means of sustenance. The neglect of the rural economy over a period had broken the joint family structure and the aged people were left with no one to take care of.

The Government should constitute beneficiary selection committees impartially to benefit the downtrodden. Dr. Reddy said better farming practices and increase in productivity would have changed the scenario. Instead of spending thousands of crores on non-productive schemes, the Government should have invested a major chunk of loans in agriculture and irrigation.

Denying that Congress Governments neglected development, he said all major irrigation projects in the State had been the contribution of the Congress. The Gross State Domestic Product was 6.6 per cent in 1980-90 whereas it had come down to 5.5 per cent during TD rule.

Neglect of priority sector was a major blow and the drought further crippled the rural economy. He asked the Government to take special care of the rural economy by ensuring free power supply (which could be an incentive in a way) and adopting simpler parameters like assured irrigation and drinking water. Artisans must be given due attention and the banking system must be made accountable to rural development, he said.

He said the issue of free power would be discussed before the release of manifesto by his party and added that there was no doubt that it would be one of major planks in the next elections.

He said the ball was in the court of the Left parties as far as electoral alliance but in case of the TRS, there was no need to mull over it much.

The APUWJ president, D. Amar, and the secretary general of Indian Journalists Union (IJU) were present.

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