Telangana govt to give pension to toddy tappers

Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday announced that the State government would provide pensions to all eligible toddy tappers.

Addressing a meeting after unveiling the statue of Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud, he said the government would take responsibility for protecting toddy tappers’ livelihoods.

The Chief Minister said the government would plant wild date and Palmyra trees on government lands and along canal embankments to provide more livelihoods to the toddy tapper community.

He stated that the State government was already providing compensation of Rs 5 lakh in case of the accidental death of toddy tappers.

He alleged that the previous government of K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) encouraged people to practise their traditional occupations like rearing buffaloes and sheep, stitching footwear and fishing while ignoring their children’s education.

He claimed that after the Congress government assumed office, children from these communities were encouraged to pursue education, become doctors, lawyers and IAS officers, and help rebuild Telangana.

“This is a Telangana of the Bahujans. We have proven that social justice and the freedom to live are hallmarks of the ‘Indiramma’ administration,” he said.

The Chief Minister appealed to all communities to continue traditional occupations while ensuring their children receive education. He said the government was ready to allocate adequate funds for students and provide quality food.

He alleged that Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders were using their ill-gotten wealth to spread false news through media and social media platforms against the government.

Revanth Reddy said that while KCR worked for only “family justice”, he was striving for “social justice”. He pointed out that when KCR was the CM, his son KTR and nephew Harish Rao became key figures in the government.

Explaining his formula of “social justice”, the Chief Minister said he appointed Mahesh Kumar Goud as State Congress president and inducted backward-class leaders like Ponnam Prabhakar, Vakiti Srihari, Seethakka and Konda Surekha into the Cabinet.

The Chief Minister reiterated that opposition leaders were performing “Kshudra pooja” against Telangana’s well-being. He alleged that BRS leader Harish Rao went to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and performed occult rituals praying for drought and wishing for farmers to suffer losses. “Those who practise black magic should be tied to trees and beaten,” the CM remarked.

Affirming that the Congress would win 117 seats and retain power for the second time, the CM said TPCC President Mahesh Goud and he, as Chief Minister, would bring the government back to power. He urged the Goud community to extend their full support.

–IANS

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