Cold Shoulder to the Tribal People

• TDP did nothing in the last 2 years
• It is not fair for the health minister to not visit tribal areas
• Education and health are unreachable to tribal people
• Government’s failure to use sanctioned funds in the right way
• The Government should solve the problems of tribal people at least now
• Bauxite GO has to be cancelled: Giddi Eshwari

Hyderabad: YSRCP MLA Giddi Eshwari complained that the Government was indifferent to the tribal areas of the state. During the question hour of the assembly, she spoke about the problems faced by the tribal people. She stated that they had no health services available. She commented that the TDP Government had done absolutely nothing for tribal people in their 2-year tenure. She mentioned that health minister Kamineni had not once visited the tribal areas till now and this proved the Government’s interest in the areas.

Giddi Eshwari stated that the tribal people were suffering from lack of health facilities in their areas. She pointed out the Gvernment’s indifference to the request for appointment of regular doctors and nurses in CHCs, PHCs. She also mentioned that even primary CHCs did not have gynaecologists and anesthesiologists. She said it was saddening to have to run to cities like Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram or Srikakulam at times of diseases or accidents. She also added that this would also need money, which the tribal people did not have.

Giddi Eshwari stated that the tribal people suffered from malaria and diarrhoea epidemics between monsoon season and summer season and only at that time doctors were visiting on deputation. She said that the doctors unavailability all the time was a huge problem. Eshwari also mentioned the shortage of ambulances. She reported that repeated requests for ambulances were ignored. She demanded minister Kamineni to provide all the infrastructure facilities to tribal areas impartially.

Giddi Eshwari mentioned an example to show how people were suffering because of the Government’s not paying Aarogyasri bills. A one-month old infant from Kurupam constituency had been diagnosed with a hole in her heart. Her family had been going around Care Hospital for 4 months. She demanded that the Government opened its eyes at least now to see incidents like this. Eshwari complained that the Government was unable to use the money in spite of funds being ready for the sake of tribal people.

Giddi Eshwari mentioned that the number of dropouts from school was growing due to the Government’s decision to cut down the number of schools. She stated that the quality of uniforms was very bad due to involving mediators. She also said that the schools in tribal areas lacked proper basic infrastructure like toilets and girls’ hostels, whose walls were in deteriorated state. She demanded the Government to use the sub-plan funds in tribal welfare department. She questioned the ideas of Ekalavya schools and model schools not being implemented.

Giddi Eshwari remarked that the bad state of tribal people regarding education was due to not filling the vacant teachers’ posts in the schools. The government chose to run the schools with the help of Vidya volunteers rather than filling the posts, Eshwari complained. Salaries also were not being paid properly. The Government’s promise of raising salaries by Rs.1500 also had been ignored, she said. Eshwari also demanded for implementation of old pension system. She mentioned that the teachers who had been selected in 1984 and been working for so long had not been granted notional increments in spite of repeated asking. She expressed her sadness about the nature not supporting it when Dr.YS Rajasekhar Reddy had been about to grant it and stted that nobody who ruled after him thought about implementing it. Eshwari remarked that it very bad that Chandrababu had not even moved the file yet.

She demanded that all the students of Mandal Parishad should be given note books and pens by the Government. She also asked for the solution to drinking water problem. She commented that implementation of NTR Jalasiri scheme was nowhere to be seen. She stated that the roads in the tribal areas were in a very bad state and appealed to the Government to take care of this. She slammed not forming Tribes Advisory Council just because there was majority of YSRCP tribal MLAs .

Giddi Eshwari requested the Government to cancel GO 97. She demanded that a resolution be made that bauxite would not be mined in future. She reminded that TDP manifesto had mentioned that pension would be implemented from 50 years of age and that tribal people would be given Rs.50,000 under Kalyana Pathakam. She demanded realization of those promises.