Villagers attending the Gram Sabhas are dissatisfied with the beneficiary selection for Indiramma Houses, Rythu Bharosa, and new ration cards. The Sabhas will continue until 24 January to finalise lists for welfare schemes starting 26 January
Published Jan 24, 2025 | 12:24 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 24, 2025 | 5:13 PM
Gram Sabha Meeting (Representational image)
The Gram Sabhas being held across Telangana since 21 January to finalise beneficiaries for four welfare schemes set to launch on Republic Day, are facing challenges.
Villagers are dissatisfied with the beneficiary selection process for Indiramma Houses, Rythu Bharosa, Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa, and new ration cards. The Gram Sabhas will continue until 24 January to finalise the lists, ensuring the welfare schemes are ready for implementation by 26 January.
In many villages, villagers have been seen arguing with officials after discovering their names missing from the beneficiary lists. They are questioning why they were excluded despite being eligible for the welfare schemes.
Tensions are rising, with officials struggling to calm the upset villagers. In some areas, residents tore up the beneficiary lists displayed by officials, while in others, they even pulled down the tents set up for the Gram Sabhas.
The Congress government announced the launch of several welfare schemes, including Rythu Bharosa of ₹12,000 per acre annually, Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa of ₹12,000 for landless laborers, issuance of new ration cards, and Indiramma Houses. Of these, the selection of beneficiaries for Indiramma Houses is generating the most controversy.
Ahead of the commencement of the gram sabhas, chief secretary A Santhi Kumari had asked the officials to prepare the list of beneficiaries for all the four schemes and announce them in the gram sabhas. She said that only after approval by the gram sabhas, the lists would become official.
The government has already issued guidelines for finalising the beneficiaries. For instance, for Rythu Bharosa, the officials have been asked to verify the lands under cultivation. Unlike in the past, the rythu bharosa money of ₹6,000 per crop, per acre would not be available to all kinds of lands.
For Athmeeya Bharosa, the chief secretary made it clear that only the families which had worked at least 20 days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are eligible to receive the benefit. For the ration cards too, officials are expected to display the final list of beneficiaries in the gram sabhas. For Indiramma Houses, officials are expected to strictly adhere to the guidelines for identifying beneficiaries under the scheme.
At the Gram Sabhas, a common complaint is that the finalisation process was flawed, with eligible individuals excluded and ineligible ones included. There were also allegations that Congress workers were given priority in the beneficiary selection. Villagers have demanded that the finalised lists be discarded and new ones created, ensuring only genuine beneficiaries are included.
As tensions rose at the Gram Sabhas, police forces were deployed in several villages starting on the second day. In some areas, police officers were seen sitting alongside officials to ensure their safety in case of angry outbursts from villagers.
In Nallabeda, in Warangal district, a farmer entered into a heated argument with Narsampet Congress legislator Donti Madhava Reddy. When officials read out the names of the beneficiaries, the villagers, mostly women, confronted the officials as to why their names were omitted.
All those who argued with the officials over their names being excluded from the lists were asked to apply afresh. The people did likewise, though grudgingly. In the gram sabhas held in 3,888 villages, the officials received 59,888 applications for inclusion in the beneficiary lists on Wednesday, 22 January.
In Komatlagudem, Karepalli mandal, Khammam district, two factions within the Congress clashed, accusing each other of having their names included in the final beneficiary list. In Morapalli, villagers boycotted the Gram Sabha, claiming staff were demanding ₹500 from each person. They later staged a rasta roko. In another village, an applicant lay down in protest after his name was removed from the list.
In Vaddadi, Adilabad district, villagers confronted officials, questioning who was responsible for preparing the beneficiary list. The officials claimed they were only tasked with reading the list at the Gram Sabhas. Villagers, frustrated, asked why the Sabhas were being held if the officials had no role in the process.
In Gundratimadugu, Konijerla mandal, Khammam district, villagers objected to the names being read out, arguing that many listed were ineligible for welfare benefits. As tensions escalated and officials began to argue, some villagers tore down the tent set up for the Gram Sabha.
In Pocharam village in Kusumanchi mandal, the villagers locked up the officials in the panchayat office, demanding that the list be prepared afresh. They broke the window panes of the office. In Ponakal in Mancherial district, the villagers confronted the local Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO) as to why their names were excluded from the list. When the MPDO asked them to apply afresh, they were miffed. They asked her (MPDO) as to how many times they had to apply for inclusion of their names in the beneficiary list.
In Narasyapally in Siddipet district, BRS and Congress leaders entered into an argument over who should address the villagers first. Heated arguments took place which led to jostling.
In response to the disruptions at the Gram Sabhas, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao accused the BRS of instigating the chaos. “While we were trying to issue fresh ration cards to the poor, BRS cadres disrupted the Gram Sabhas,” he said, criticising the party for attempting to block proceedings after remaining silent for 10 years. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar denied any government interference in finalising the beneficiary lists, stating, “Anyone who meets the criteria will receive ration cards.”
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
