Hyderabad: The people of Maharashtra are according a grand reception to his Bharat Rashtra Samithi party, and the sarpanches of some of the villages in the neighbouring state are demanding that their government either merge their villages with Telangana or implement the welfare schemes being provided in the southern state, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Friday.
He was addressing a public meeting at Asifabad after formally launching the distribution of ‘Podu’ (shifting cultivation) land documents to tribal beneficiaries and inaugurating the Integrated District Collectorate of Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district, about 300 km from Hyderabad.
“Sarpanches of some of the bordering Maharashtra villages are demanding their government either merge them with Telangana or implement Telangana schemes,” KCR claimed.
The BRS is getting a massively encouraging response from the people in Maharashtra, he said.
Telangana is the number one state in the country in per capita income and in supplying piped drinking water to households and others, he said.
He also highlighted the numerous welfare schemes of the state government, including ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support scheme and free power for farmers.
Referring to Congress’s stance that it will abolish Dharani, the state government’s integrated land management system, KCR said the abolition of Dharani would bring back middlemen into the system.
KCR also asserted that the BRS would return to power after the Legislative Assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year.
Speaking earlier after launching the distribution of ‘podu’ land documents to tribal beneficiaries, at the District Collectorate, he said the land documents were being given in the name of women beneficiaries.
There are also non-tribal farmers, and they will get the ‘podu’ land documents later after completion of the due process as per relevant rules.
Stating that nearly 1.50 lakh farmers will get the right to cultivate over four lakh acres of ‘podu’ lands across the state, he said the cases filed earlier against ‘podu’ farmers for occupying forest lands would be withdrawn.
KCR also said the beneficiaries who got ‘podu’ land documents would also be given the benefit of ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme.
Recalling that tribal residents of forest areas in the state used to suffer from viral fevers, he said the problem has now been addressed due to supply of clean drinking water and improvements in medical facilities.
Seeking to expand the footprint of the BRS in Maharashtra, KCR visited the neighbouring state several times after the Telangana Rashtra Samithi was renamed as BRS in December last year.
He had addressed public meetings at Nanded and other places in Maharashtra.
