Podu land pattas distribution soon: Satyavathi Rathod

Telangana government had received 3.9 lakh applications seeking pattas on 13 lakh acres podu land in various districts

Hyderabad: Minister for Tribal Welfare Satyavathi Rathod on Thursday announced in the Assembly that distribution of podu land pattas to eligible tribal farmers would be taken up as early as possible.

Replying on Budget demand, the Minister informed that the Cabinet Sub Committee constituted by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to find solution for the distribution podu lands, has completed the exercise and it would soon submit its report to the Chief Minister. She said the field level survey had been completed and it was being studied. “We are expecting the CM to give the nod for distribution of pattas of podu land soon. We will ensure that maximum tribal farmers benefit from the scheme so that no more forest land is encroached in future,” she said.

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The State government had received 3.9 lakh applications seeking pattas on 13 lakh acres podu land in various districts. She said the State government would set up ST study circles in all the districts to facilitate tribal youth in preparing for competitive exams.

Coming down heavily on Centre, the Minister stated that the Modi-government had failed to establish a Tribal University in the State, though the State government had allocated 354 acres for it in 2018, the Centre has done nothing to set up it so far, whereas the Tribal University in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh had started functioning since last two years. “Why are BJP MPs not questioning the Centre about Tribal University. Interestingly, a BJP tribal MP from the State is meeting PM Modi regularly to remove lambadas from the ST list but is not asking about the tribal university and other things promised to the State in the Reorganisation Act,” she said.