Flouride victim Amsala Swamy, now a picture of confidence, thanks to Telangana govt

Nalgonda: Ansala Swamy, the very name was synonymous with problem of fluoride that crippled the lives of hundreds of people. Taking the name of Amsala Swamy has become common to exemplify the extent of flouride problem people were facing in Nalgonda distdrict. Taking the name of Amsala Swamy to refer to the fluoride issue by […]

Nalgonda: Ansala Swamy, the very name was synonymous with problem of fluoride that crippled the lives of hundreds of people. Taking the name of Amsala Swamy has become common to exemplify the extent of flouride problem people were facing in Nalgonda distdrict.

Taking the name of Amsala Swamy to refer to the fluoride issue by political leaders became normal and his name is in currency now in view of the by-election to Munugode assembly segment, which was worst affected fluoride area in the district.

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But now, the situation is entirely different. Not only was the fluoride issue solved, but the life of fluorosis victim Amsala Swamy also completely metamorphosed after the formation of Telangana state. The 37-year-old Swamy has been sanctioned a hair salon by the state government on his request. The shop was set up in his native place Shivannagidem at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh enabling him to get a regular income to him. He engaged a person for his salon and is now earning anywhere between Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month. In addition to this, Swamy gets his welfare pension of Rs 3,016 per month.

Swamy lives with his aged parents, who can not work for their livelihood, but thanks to the government intervention, he is able to take care of his parents, a dream come true for him.

When he sent the photos of the bad condition of his house to Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K Taraka Rama Rao, the minister sanctioned Rs 5 lakh so that he could take up construction of a double bedroom house in his site at Shivannagudem. The TRS leader Karnati Vidhya Sagar too extended financial help to Swamy to help him construct the house under “Gift a Smile” initiative of Taraka Rama Rao.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Swamy said that he had participated in the agitation waged for safe drinking water to liberate the area from fluoride. He recalls how his life was not changed even after he was taken to Delhi and placed on the office table of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 to highlight the severith of the flouride issue. However, only after Telangana was formed his life had changed. The flouride problem has been solved completely as safe and portable water is now supplied to every household in Mission Bhagiratha. “This initiative would stop anyone falling victim to the dreaded flouride problem like me”, he adds.

Fluoride Vimukthi Porata Samithi president Kanchukatla Subash said that Swamy had proved that even fluoride victims can also stand on their legs if proper assistance was extended by the state government. He requested the state government to sanction double bedroom houses to all the fluoride victims, who were living in huts and have no own houses, he added.