Amravati: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Andhra Pradesh (AP) chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday alleged that the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is ‘harassing’ NREGS contractors despite their good contributions to the rural development and poverty alleviation programs.
Naidu slammed the state government over its failure regarding the “non-payment of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGS) bills” despite the court orders. He blamed chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy over certain policies which he felt were roadblocks, preventing investments in Andhra Pradesh.
The former chief minister expressed concerns over the long-standing issue saying, “A contractor named Ranjit attempted suicide in Elur following non-payment of his bills for a long time now. The Government should ensure proper medical care for him.”
He claimed that a few days ago, a differently-abled contractor tried to end his life in Anantapur district because of alleged government harassment. “It was not correct to harass and cause mental agony to contractors who completed works under the NREGS program,” Naided added.
Speaking at a press conference, Naidu said, “The court has issued orders for paying pending bills with 12 percent interest. But, the Government was not taking any action. At the same time, the funds released by the Centre were diverted.” he mentioned.
The TDP supremo mentioned that the central government instructed the court regarding the NREGS Central funds have been released to the State. “The Government was not paying over Rs. 80,000 crore of bills to contractors all over the state. The contractors would need to lose heart and they should not take any extreme step. The TDP would fight till justice was done to them,” Naidu added.