The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt announces sops for senior citizens, others

WITH an eye on the ensuing elections, the State Government has announced a series of sops, including release of dearness allowance arrears for pensioners, old age pension for an additional six lakh persons, interim relief for miners of Singareni Collieries and reduced interest rates for Rythu Mithras and Chief Minister's Empowerment of Youth Programmes.

Apart from this, the State Cabinet, which met here on Tuesday, also approved funds for Apparel and Textile Parks and Leather complexes.

The State Information Minister, Mr S. Chandramohan Reddy, told newspersons that the Government's decision to extend DA arrears to pensioners would mean an additional burden of Rs 350 crore on the State exchequer.

The mode of payment would be in two instalments spread over two financial years of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 respectively. While the arrears would cover up to February end this year, the current amount would be given from March 2004.

"We could not clear the DA issue in spite of their requests mainly due to financial constraints. However, the Cabinet decided to clear this long pending demand of about 4.5-lakh employees," he explained.

There are about two lakh Rythu Mithra groups spread across the State and the Government has decided to give an interest subsidy of 5 per cent, which was hitherto applicable for cooperative societies. On the same lines, the Government also decided to extend interest subsidy of about four per cent for the Chief Minister's Empowerment of Youth (CMEY) programme.

In order to rehabilitate people whose family members have been killed by Naxalites, the State Cabinet has decided to create employment opportunities in district collectorates. This would mean creation of about 81 supernumerary posts. While making Urdu second language in the Nalgonda district, the Cabinet also approved allocation of Rs 10 crore for upgradation of Masjids and Churches.

Reviewing the action plan to establish five apparel parks and 12 textile parks, the Cabinet approved allocation of Rs 122.49 crore for apparel parks and Rs 109.41crore for textile parks. In addition to the already cleared projects, the State Government has now decided to set up a Silk City in Kuppam. The textile industry is projected to create job opportunity for about 15 lakh people over the next five years and generate exports of about $5 billion.

Alongside this, Mr Reddy said the Cabinet while taking stock of the leather industry has announced plans to create 26 mini parks with an investment of about Rs 506 crore.

In addition to this, the Government now plans to set up three medium and 21 mini leather parks, a Rs 15 crore mega leather park at Nellore, a Rs 20 crore international leather park. It has decided to allot 250 acres of land at Puanapuram in Nellore district.

The miners of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd., would get interim relief of 7.5 per cent till such time the settlement of the Joint Bipartite Committee for Coal Industries is announced, Mr Reddy stated.

Alongside this, the State Government also cleared a package of Rs 276.55 crore for hosting Krishna Pushkaralu later this year and 50 per cent subsidy amount for APSRTC which would mean an additional burden of Rs100 crore.

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