In a move that could lead to a controversy, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said the government would set up two special police battalions comprising youth from the primitive tribal groups (PTGs) in the state. However, he was cautious enough not to mention if the tribal battalions were being set up to fight the Maoists in the forests.
Earlier, a similar proposal made by former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2005 was shelved after it received severe criticism from various political parties which alleged that the government was trying to pit innocent tribals against the Maoists.
On Thursday, Kiran Kumar Reddy made the announcement during the Indira Jalaprabha meeting organised at Chunchupally village of Khammam on the second day of Indiramma Bata programme. Reiterating his commitment for the uplift of tribals, he said about 2,700 school teacher posts will be filled in the tribal areas and the infrastructure in the Ashram schools would be improved with Rs 660 cr.
The government had decided to hand over the settlement pattas to tribals soon.