VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced immediate compensation to the families of farmers who committed suicide during 2014-19.Reviewing the ‘Spandana’ programme with district collectors and SPs through a video conference on Wednesday, Jagan noted that compensation was paid only to 391 families while the District Crime Records Bureau indicated that as many as 1,513 farmers committed suicide between 2014 and 2019.
He directed officials to collect the data from their respective districts and ensure that a compensation of `7 lakh was paid to all the families who lost their breadwinners due to various reasons like crop failure, indebtedness, etc.Collectors should respond immediately to the issues of farmers and tenant farmers to instill confidence among them, the CM said.
“The governance should adopt a humanitarian approach with welfare as the main goal and there should not be any complaint on the ex gratia issue,’’ he asserted.Making his intentions clear that corruption would not be tolerated at any level, the CM directed officials to revamp the system right from the mandal level to ensure transparency.
“I have started elimination of corruption at my level and you have to clean the system at your end by counselling officials and in two to three months we must be in a position to get positive reports on the issue of eradication of corruption,” he said.
Advising heads of revenue and police departments to address complaints of corruption at mandal level, he also called for a humane angle and practical approach while addressing grievances.“The overwhelming response to Spandana shows that people have many complaints and it is our duty to provide qualitative response and attend to their issues with earnestness. We have received over 4,400 applications during the first Spandana and we have made a commitment to clear the issues within a week’s time,’’ he reminded officials.
When officials informed the CM that most of the complaints received during the Spandana pertained to pensions, housing and ration cards, Jagan said that village secretariats would be utilised in dynamic manner to resolve such problems within 72 hours.
Every village secretariat would be equipped with a scanner, printer, computer and lamination machine and efforts would be made to issue ration cards to beneficiaries, he said.The CM announced `15 crore for each district for improving amenities in hostels and directed collectors to gather data before conducting surprise checks.
Responding to reports that proper facilities were not provided for the people at the venues of the Spandana programme last Monday, Jagan directed officials to arrange water, buttermilk, chairs, shamianas and other facilities at the centres. The CM also asked officials to conduct the programme at mandal level.