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.