AP Reserves 33% Quarry Leases for Vadderas

Vijayawada: Declaring that the state government is honouring the assurances given to the people during his Yuva Galam padayatra, education minister Nara Lokesh said on Tuesday that 33 per cent of quarry leases has been reserved for registered Vaddera Cooperative Societies.

He said, “During the Yuva Galam padayatra, I witnessed the hardships faced by people across the state. The Vaddera brothers met me and sought quarry allocations for them so they could continue their traditional occupation.”

“As promised then, the state now issued GO-Ms-126, allocating 33 per cent of quarry leases to Vadderas. The people's government led by Chandrababu Naidu is working with sincerity in line with public aspirations,” Lokesh claimed.

The government, he said, amends the Andhra Pradesh Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1966, and introduces a preferential allotment framework for minerals traditionally associated with the Vaddera community. These include building stone, road metal and ballast, rough stone and boulders, slate, morrum, gravel, ordinary earth and dimensional stone used for kerbs and cubes.

The order provides that up to 33 per cent of the total allowable quarry area in a district will be earmarked for registered Vaddera Cooperative Societies. Each society will be eligible for preferential allotment of up to 12 hectares.

In a further boost to the community, the government has granted a 50 per cent concession in both seigniorage fees and premium amounts payable on such leases. Officials said this would improve livelihoods and ensure greater participation of traditional quarry workers in the mining sector.

To ensure transparency, the allotment process will be conducted through eight evaluation slots in a calendar year, with applications scrutinised in batches. Priority among competing Vaddera societies will be determined based on village, mandal and application chronology.

The government claimed the policy reflects its commitment to social justice, economic inclusion and the protection of traditional occupations while creating sustainable employment opportunities for thousands of Vaddera families across Andhra Pradesh.