Govt planning to promote fruit plantations for tribal livelihood: Dy CM

For the cultivation of fruit orchards and oil palm tribal farmers would be given a large percentage of funds and financial flexibility.

Kothagudem: Plans were being made to promote fruit plantations in every mandal to provide employment opportunities to the tribals, informed Dy. Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka.

For the cultivation of fruit orchards and oil palm tribal farmers would be given a large percentage of funds and financial flexibility. District Collector and ITDA Project Officer have to make efforts in that direction, he said.

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The Dy. CM along with district in-charge Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao attended Bhadrachalam ITDA governing body meeting in the district on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion Vikramarka said that interest-free loans to women in DWCRA groups would be given. The Indira Jala Prabha scheme would be re-launched to promote cultivation by tribal farmers and officials have to prepare an action for the purpose.

He said that the ITDA officials should prepare plans to offer better education, medical and employment opportunities for the tribals and their children besides measures to increase the pass percentage of the students in the junior colleges.

The Dy. CM As stated that there was a shortage of doctors, ANMs and ambulances in Primary Health Centres in remote tribal villages. Officials have to hire local unemployed tribal youths on contract basis and provide medical services to the tribals and ensure that ambulance services would be available round the clock.

Bhadrachalam ITDA PO Prateek Jain said that the welfare schemes introduced by the State government for the development of tribals were being made available to all the eligible tribal families.

MP M Kavitha, MLAs Ramdas Naik, P Venkateswarlu and Dr. T Venkat Rao, MLC Tata Madhusudan, Kothagudem and Khammam Collectors Dr. Priyanka Ala and VP Gautham, SP B Rohith Raju and others were present.