Rama Krishna Sangem
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy chaired a Cabinet meeting on July 12, Wednesday, hinted at elections to the state assembly in April -May 2024. He told the ministers to get ready to face the polls in nine months, that is around April and May next year. Thus, he put at rest speculation over possible advancement of the elections along with those in Telangana in November-December this year.
This talk of early elections to AP assembly gained momentum since CM Jagan met Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi last week. Opposition TDP leaders claimed Jagan was planning early polls so as to escape from the impact of a possible alliance between TDP-Jana and BJP. Of course, this was stoutly denied by Jagan’s chief advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy subsequently. Now it is clear that AP will go to polls along with that of Lok Sabha.
Welfare galore
CM Jagan, sounding a poll bugle, flagged off at the Cabinet meeting a slew of welfare schemes commencing July 18. Important among them is granting full rights to owners of assigned lands – mostly scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. As per the Cabinet decision, those who got pattas on assigned lands will get full rights – to sell or transfer rights to others etc. Till now, the assigned land holders have no such rights.
This will benefit around 54,000 people. Another such move, giving full rights on Lanka lands (shore lands) too will befit around 10,000 people, as per a post Cabinet briefing by Information and Public Relations minister Chelluboina Srinivasa Venugopalakrishna. These two decisions will satisfy the demands of thousands of families for the last several decades.
Besides, CM Jagan will also launch some other schemes like Jagananna Thodu, for small and medium businesses and Netannaku Cheyutha, meant for handloom weavers and Vidya Deevena, meant for students aspiring to study abroad etc. These schemes are in continuation of Jagan’s ongoing welfare programmes. They indicate consolidation of welfare measures months before the polls.
