People's Democracy

Round-Table Meet Puts Forward 19 Demands

M Venugopala Rao

A ROUND-TABLE meeting of several mass organisations and political parties on “The Drought Situation in the State - the Countrywide Strike on May 21” organised at Press Club in Hyderabad on May 8, put forth 19 demands relating to short-term and long-term measures to be taken to face the drought situation in the state and other issues confronting the people.

The meeting while extending its solidarity to the countrywide strike on May 21 had given a call for Andhra Pradesh bandh on that very day demanding the state government to take up drought-relief measures and resenting its callousness towards the drought-affected people. A resolution to this effect was adopted unanimously by the mass organisations, the Congress and the Left parties, including the CPI(M) and the CPI. 

The meeting had demanded the government to take the following measures:

1) Implement daily wage system in the food-for-work scheme. The rice intended for this scheme should not be used for material component.

2) Give  10 kg of rice per month to all the eligible people.  Identify eligible people by organising meetings of the village, town and basti.

3) Extend the mid-day meal scheme to the physically handicapped people, pregnant women and the old people.

4) Improve supply of drinking water and fodder.

5) Sanction ration cards and house site pattas immediately. Cancel memo no.1096 (relating to elimination of ration cards).

6) Distribute arable land.  Distribute endowment lands to the poor sharecroppers who are cultivating them. Stop auctioning of these lands.

7) Waive dues of power bills and  dues of loans to be paid to the banks and societies within a limit of Rs 20,000 in areas affected by drought for three consecutive years. Waive interest on loans in the drought-affected areas.  Stop forcible collections of dues immediately.  Stop collection of dues of DWACRA loans.

8) Pay ex-gratia to the families of those who died of starvation or committed suicides.

9) Announce a special developmental package of Rs 5000 crore for Telangana.  Announce a special package for the perenially drought-prone Rayalaseema and the backward areas in north Andhra.

10) Take up irrigation projects in drought-affected areas on priority basis. Complete the projects under construction and the projects sanctioned by the government within a time limit of five years. 

11) Cancel Government Order Ms No 90 intended for handing over the government’s  medical establishment to  private hands. 

12) The government should protect the amounts deposited in the cooperative banks.

13) Waive fee to the students of drought-affected areas. Fee for the next year should also not be collected.  Keep the hostels open.

14)  Provide financial assistance and pensions to all the handloom weavers, toddy-tappers and artisans.  Give them rice under drought relief. 

15) Provide security to the migrated workers. Provide them facilities for free travel, accommodation and medicare. Their ration cards should be recognised anywhere in the state.

16) Provide  free food and medicare facilities to the poor tribals.

17) While executing the drought works, give priority to the works under minor irrigation.

18) Sanction self-employment schemes and  unemployment allowance to all the eligible unemployed. Fill up the 2.5 lakh posts lying vacant in various governmental organisations.

19) Form people’s committees from village level to the district level to review the drought works.

The president of A P Congress Committee, M Satyanarayana Rao, state secretary of  the CPI(M), B V Raghavulu, assistant state secretary of the CPI, K Narayana, leaders of various Left parties and mass organisations  -  Sambasiva Rao and G Diwakar of CPI(ML) New Democracy, Nagayya of  CPI(ML) Committee, G Vijaya Kumar of CPI(ML) Unity Initiative,  Sridhar of SUCI, Kotayya of Rythu Cooly Sangham and others participated in the meeting.