Tummala Assures Funds for Gutti Koya, Konda Reddi Development
He also instructed that health camps be organised once every three months in areas inhabited by Adivasis.
Nalgonda: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Saturday assured that steps would be taken to provide improved education and healthcare facilities to Adivasis belonging to the Gutti Koya and Konda Reddi communities in the State.
Launching oil palm plantation in lands cultivated by Adivasis at Pusukunta in Dammapet mandal of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, the minister said a comprehensive plan would be prepared by the district administration and the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) to enhance livelihoods and improve incomes of Koya and Konda Reddi families. He underlined the need to preserve traditional handicraft skills of these tribal communities and said he would discuss with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy the sanction of funds for their development.
He directed officials to issue land cultivation details to Adivasis, provide health cards to children, and extend life insurance coverage to tribal families. He also instructed that health camps be organised once every three months in areas inhabited by Adivasis.
The minister advised tribal farmers to replace eucalyptus plantations with oil palm cultivation along with intercrops to increase income. He said the State government was committed to developing basic amenities in tribal and Adivasi areas on par with villages in the plains.
He also instructed officials to develop Pusukunta as a tourism destination by constructing permanent structures reflecting the lifestyle, culture and traditions of the Gutti Koya and Konda Reddi communities.
Bhadrachalam ITDA project officer B. Raghul said efforts were focused on providing education and healthcare facilities to Konda Reddi families, who largely reside in deep forest areas. He assured that Pusukunta would be developed as a model village, adding that power tillers, solar lights and drip irrigation systems had already been sanctioned to local farmers.
Ashwaraopet MLA Jare Adinarayana said road connectivity and electricity had been provided to remote Konda Reddi hamlets in his constituency. He said 21 Indiramma houses were sanctioned to eligible families in Pusukunta and that houses would also be sanctioned to eligible families in Gogulapudi, Tirumalakunta, Gandragudem and Kattukur in April 2026 as part of the second phase of the scheme.
Later, the agriculture minister laid the foundation stone for double-bedroom houses for 18 Konda Reddi families under the PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan) scheme, with an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
