HYDERABAD: The Congress government’s Praja Palana initiative received an overwhelming response from the public on the first day, with people flocking to grama sabhas and ward sabhas from early morning, braving cold conditions, to avail of benefits under the Six Guarantees.
While people were asked to attend the sabhas from 8 am to noon and then from 2 pm to 6 pm, in two shifts, people started reaching community centres, where the sabhas were held, by 6 am.
By 8 am, serpentine queues were witnessed at all centres, which continued throughout the day, even as the government had appealed to people not to rush to submit applications as the sabhas will be held till January 6.
The state government has formed 3,714 teams, comprising officials from multiple departments concerned, to organise the sabhas in all 12,769 gram panchayats and 2,626 municipal wards and divisions across the state from December 28 to January 6.
The unanticipated rush on Day 1 led to a shortage of application forms at several centres, with photocopy centres and brokers selling copies of the form for Rs 100 each. Despite the government providing the forms for free, people paid for the photocopies in a bid to secure their benefits early.
People waiting in queues were all praise for Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, for sending officials to their localities, as it was seen as a proactive step to implement the Six Guarantees promised by the Congress in the poll run-up. They also expressed relief over not having to run around MeeSeva centres or MRO offices to submit their applications.
Among the most sought-after benefits on Day 1 were for housing plots under the Indiramma Housing scheme, which was a major poll plank for the Congress as it rapped the BRS regime for failing to give 2BHKs.
There were also many applicants seeking to avail of Rs 500-gas cylinders and Rs 2,500 monthly aid under the Maha Lakshmi scheme, while Cheyutha pension seekers were also in significant numbers, given the wide range of people being catered to.
A huge rush was also spotted at exclusive counters set up for those seeking to apply for ration cards, which would be the main criterion for selecting beneficiaries for the Six Guarantees.
Separate counters were set up for women, the physically challenged and senior citizens, for their convenience, which garnered much praise. Volunteers were also pressed into service to help illiterate/semi-literate persons fill out the application forms.
Under GHMC limits, about 600 counters were set up across 150 wards, with about 10,000 staffers deployed for the programme.
