MLAs Raise During Zero Hour in Assembly Employment, PDS and Development Issues
Raising concerns over the Public Distribution System (PDS), Proddatur MLA Varadarajulu Reddy alleged that nearly 90 per cent of ration rice supplied through fair price shops is being sold, instead of being consumed by cardholders
VIJAYAWADA: On the 10th day of the Budget Session of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, MLAs cutting across party lines flagged several issues during the Zero Hour on Wednesday.
To start with, Penamaluru MLA Bode Prasad shared his personal experience of having worked as a delivery boy, underlining the dignity of labour and the potential of part-time jobs. He pointed out that even highly educated Indian youth abroad take up part-time work without hesitation, whereas in India, youth often looked down upon such jobs.
Raising concerns over the Public Distribution System (PDS), Proddatur MLA Varadarajulu Reddy alleged that nearly 90 per cent of ration rice supplied through fair price shops is being sold, instead of being consumed by cardholders. He claimed that ration dealers and middlemen are purchasing rice from beneficiaries, leading to large-scale misuse of public funds worth thousands of crores of rupees. He called upon the government to explore alternative mechanisms to ensure that subsidies reach the intended beneficiaries.
Srikalahasti MLA Bojjala Sudheer Reddy expressed concerns over employment opportunities for locals in industries set up in his constituency. He alleged that local youth, including those whose families had given up their land for industrial projects, are not being provided jobs. “How can companies deny employment to those who parted with their lands,” he asked.
Guntur West MLA Galla Madhavi appealed to the government to sanction a planetarium for Guntur city. In a lighter vein, she suggested the need for a zoo, remarking that several former ministers and MLAs visiting Guntur describe themselves as tigers and lions. Madhavi requested Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan to expedite the approval for the zoo project.
Chilakaluripet MLA Prathipati Pulla Rao sought early completion of the Minority Residential School and College in Vinukonda. He noted that ₹18 crore had been sanctioned in 2018 under PM Vikas for the residential building. He requested the government to operationalise the school and college in Vinukonda at the earliest to help students, including those from minorities, who number around 50,000 in his constituency.
