Ponguleti Asks Sarpanches to Ensure Delivery of Welfare Schemes

Addressing a felicitation meeting of Congress-supported sarpanches at Singareni Grounds in Yellandu, Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, the minister said the state government had laid special emphasis on rural development and improving living conditions in villages. He urged sarpanches and ward members to keep village development as their primary goal and work towards achieving it.

He said people voted Congress-backed candidates to victory in the gram panchayat elections due to the effective governance and welfare schemes implemented by the Congress government over the past two years. Congress-supported candidates were elected as sarpanches in 69 per cent of gram panchayats across the state, he noted.

The minister said welfare measures like fine rice distribution to ration cardholders, Indiramma housing, free electricity up to 200 units for domestic connections, free bus travel for women in TGSRTC services, and the Rythu Bharosa investment support scheme should reach all eligible families. He said sarpanches and ward members had a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of these benefits in rural areas.

Stating that the Congress government was committed to women’s empowerment, he said interest-free loans were being extended to women self-help groups (SHGs) and efforts were underway to encourage women entrepreneurship. Women SHGs were being promoted to take up ventures such as solar power plants, RTC rental buses, petrol bunks, paddy procurement centres and rice mills, he added.

On Indiramma housing, the minister said families who did not receive houses in the first phase need not worry, as houses would be sanctioned to all eligible poor families in the next three phases of the scheme. He said the government aimed to provide irrigation and drinking water facilities to all five mandals in the Yellandu Assembly constituency, and that irrigation would be ensured to farmers through the Sitarama project.

He also appealed to Congress workers to work towards the victory of party candidates in the upcoming municipal, ZPTC and MPTC elections.

Mahbubabad MP Porika Balram Naik and Yellandu MLA Koram Kanakaiah also attended the programme.