The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt disburses Rs 146 cr to 2,924 gram panchayats

Hyderabad, Nov. 30 The Andhra Pradesh Government on Sunday disbursed Rs 146 crore as incentive to 2,924 gram panchayats who elected their sarpanches unanimously.

While panchayats with a population less than 5,000 got Rs 5 lakh each, major panchayats got Rs 15 lakh each.

The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, asked the sarpanches to focus their attention on sanitation and cleanliness in villages to prevent spread of diseases.

“Prevent defecation in the open and keep the villages tidy as this will ensure reduction in spread of various diseases by 90 per cent,” he said.

He also wanted the sarpanches to set up drinking water bottling units in each village to supply safe drinking water to the people.

“Each unit will cost about Rs 2-3 lakh and bottled water can be supplied to each household at Rs 50 a month. Do not depend on water from public taps and borewells as it is not totally safe,” Dr Reddy added.

The Chief Minister also promised to enhance the honorarium of village sarpanches by 50 per cent soon.

Dr Reddy also urged all the political parties in the State to unite foil the conspiracy of the foreign forces to destabilise peace and tranquillity of the country. “If we continue to fight among ourselves, our prestige will be lowered,” Dr Reddy said.

“We are at a very crucial juncture where the foreign forces have challenged our peace. In the interest of the development of country and the State, I request all parties to sink their differences and come on a common platform to fight these forces,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that in the interest of the people of the State, it would be good gesture if all the parties openly challenged the disruptive forces hell bent on destabilising the unity and integrity of the nation.

He pointed out that a high-level meeting of police officials was convened on Monday evening to discuss the law and order issue.

Water disputes

Referring to the inter-State water dispute on irrigation projects, Dr Reddy said political parties in the State should learn a lesson from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where all parties came together to protest their respective States interests.

Talking about the Babli project, Dr Reddy said that some parties were trying to rake up the issue to gain political mileage, which was not correct.

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