Telangana Udyamakarula Vedika wants pensions to 1969 statehood activists

Telangana Udyamakarula Vedika leader Sravanaboina Narsaiah urged the State government to grant pensions and benefits to 1969 Telangana movement activists, highlighting their sacrifices and current poor condition, and appealed for their recognition as freedom fighters

Kothagudem: Telangana Udyamakarula Vedika state honorary president Sravanaboina Narsaiah has demanded the State government grant pensions to 1969 Telangana movement activists.

He urged the government to recognise the statehood movement activists as ‘Telangana Freedom Fighters’ and grant them pensions under the ‘Swatantrata Sainik Samman’ (Freedom Fighter’s Honour) scheme, classified under the ‘A1′ grade.

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Narsaiah, who played a pivotal role during the 1969 Telangana movement by inspiring activists, was recently elected as the state honorary president of the vedika. He established the 1969 Telangana Movement Struggle Committee and fought for the formation of the Telangana state.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Narsaiah said that activists from Kothagudem served as an inspiration to the Telangana movement. From 1969 to 2014, they worked hard, waged relentless struggles, risked their lives, endured police lathi charges and were jailed to achieve a separate Telangana state.

However, the activists now find themselves in an extremely pitiable and destitute condition. While leaders have risen to power and become rulers on the strength of the activists’ sacrifices, the activists have been left out, which he termed an injustice.

For the past 12 years, the vedika leaders have been waging struggles and submitting numerous appeals regarding the activists’ demands, including pensions, allotment of a 250 square yard house site for construction of a house, and medical care facilities.

Similarly, the 1969 statehood activists should be provided with free transport facilities, and one member from each activist’s family must be given a government job without any age limit restrictions, Narsaiah said.

He said that on behalf of the vedika, he, along with leaders Devulapalli Ramamurthy, Kakelli Simon, Bikkulal, Madishetty Srinivas, Yeluru Ramulu, Bokkala Satyanarayana and others, appealed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to honour the 1969 statehood activists.