The AP Government is planning to increase the area under coffee plantation in the Eastern Ghats of Visakhapatnam district, by at least one lakh acres, as the Girijans in the scheduled area are deriving substantial benefit out of it, according to Panchayat Raj Minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu.

The minister said Araku valley and Paderu in Visakhapatnam district were non-conventional coffee growing areas and the State Government and the Coffee Board were encouraging coffee plantation. “The Girijan farmers are gaining ₹60,000 per acre and it has brought about a substantial change in their lives. Pepper is being grown as an inter-crop. The Government is planning to enhance the acreage by one lakh,” he said.

He said there were some irregularities reported in the past in the use of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the State Government had recovered ₹80 crore or so. Steps were being taken to recover the rest. “We have effected certain changes in the use of funds under the rural employment job scheme with emphasis on asset creation. In villages, the funds under the scheme will be used for construction of buildings for panchayats and for internal roads,” he said.

State-level water grid: Ayyanna Patrudu said AP was taking steps to create a state-level water grid, on the lines of Gujarat, with a 30-year timeframe in mind. “We have estimated that ₹30,000-40,000 crores will be required for the scheme and 155 tmc ft of water will be stored. A corporation is being created for the purpose,” he said.

He also spoke about the NTR Sujala Sravanthi scheme introduced by the State Government to provide 20 litres of clean drinking water for ₹2 in villages.

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