Parties start ‘Save RDT’ movement
Anantapur:With the Rural Development Trust (RDT) on the verge of closure after 55 years of service in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region due to the non-renewal of its Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence, political parties and organisations across Anantapur district have urged the Centre to resolve the issue immediately. Meetings and round table conferences were held at various venues in Anantapur on Monday, demanding to save the organisation.
At a meeting of elected representatives at the Zilla Parishad conference hall, Anantapur MP Ambika Lakshmi Narayana of the TDP said RDT had been an integral part of the district’s development for over five decades, executing projects worth thousands of crores. Hindupur MP B.K. Partha Sarathi of the TDP noted that thousands of poor families had benefited from RDT’s selfless services, with exclusive programmes reaching every household in Anantapur and Satya Sai districts.
Anantapur ZP Chairperson Girijamma of the YSRCP expressed concern that thousands of RDT employees could lose their jobs and hospitals offering top-quality healthcare might shut down if the FCRA issue is not resolved. She demanded that the Centre take swift action after gathering local feedback.
CPI state committee member K. Jagadish pointed out that RDT was forced to cancel its support programmes for poor students this year, severely impacting its annual service budget of over `300 crore. He warned that emergency medical services catering to eight lakh outpatients annually, as well as youth initiatives like the Ananta Rural Sports Village, could cease operations, affecting more than 3,000 employees.
Established in 1969 by Spanish national Vincent Ferrer, RDT has grown into a major non-profit, non-religious and non-political organisation. It now operates in over 3,500 villages across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, supporting more than 4.5 lakh economically weaker families. The organisation runs programmes in education, art and culture, women empowerment, disability-inclusive development, community health, rural hospitals, sports, ecology, and sustainable livelihoods, with a staff of 3,000, of whom 51 per cent are women.
At another round table conference held at a function hall in Drivers Colony, CCC chairman and State Muthavalli Association president Shakil Shafi said RDT had been part of every family’s life in the district for the past five decades, benefiting thousands, including mentally challenged individuals, students and sportspersons.
Former MLA Y. Prabhakar Chowdary said they had already represented the matter to state finance minister Payyavula Kesav and health minister Satya Kumar Yadav, seeking their intervention to secure FCRA renewal for RDT. CPM leader Rambhoopal said the ‘Save RDT’ agitation would continue until the Centre acted to safeguard the future of lakhs of people across Rayalaseema and parts of Telangana who depend on RDT’s services.
