AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been on a spree of fulfilling his promises since the time he has assumed power, has accomplished yet another significant one. Coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, the chief minister formally launched the ROFR (Recognition of Forest Rights) pattas distribution programme at his camp office here on Friday. The scheme, which the chief minister inaugurated via video-conferencing, is going to benefit about 3.5 lakh tribal farmers who are dependent on ‘podu cultivation’ (traditional tribal way of cultivation).
This marks yet another major milestone in the long list of promises fulfilled by YS Jagan. Besides launching the ROFR pattas distribution, the AP CM also kick-started a host of initiatives meant for the welfare of the tribals. This includes the construction of medical college in Paderu, tribal engineering college in Kurupam and super-specialty hospitals in tribal areas. Using the online mode, YS Jagan symbolically laid the foundation stone for these proposed developmental programmes.
Incidentally, the Andhra Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 246.30 crores for the purpose of constructing five multi-specialty hospitals. Empowering tribal farmers with ROFR pattas was a dream initiative envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. For the first time in Andhra Pradesh, late YS Rajasekhar Reddy distributed the ROFR pattas to the tribals when he was chief minister of the state. Taking this to a new level to benefit a large number of tribal farmers and pursuing the ideals of Bapuji, YS Jagan has launched the mammoth exercise on the Gandhi Jayanti day.
YSR, during his time, had distributed 55,513 ROFR pattas pertaining to 1,30,679 acres of forest lands. The governments that succeeded his regime subsequently turned a blind eye to this exemplary scheme. Breathing life into the scheme once again, the YSRCP government has now embarked on distributing these pattas on a larger scale.
The latest YS Jagan move is being greeted with joy by the tribal beneficiaries and hailed as a decisive step meant for their all-round development.
