VIJAYAWADA: Adivasi Welfare Parishad staged a rally and dharna in Vijayawada on Monday, demanding the establishment of an Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Srikakulam district, with Meliyaputti as its centre.
Led by State Vice President Vaba Yogi, the rally began at Vijayawada railway station and ended at Dharna Chowk.
Vaba Yogi criticised the Jaganmohan Reddy-led government for neglecting tribal needs during district reorganisation, leaving two lakh tribals across 16 mandals without proper support.
He demanded strict enforcement of the roster system and action against non-tribals securing jobs with fake ST certificates.
He urged Chief Minister N ara Chandrababu Naidu to honour his Integrated Tribal Development Agency promise and called on tribal MLAs to raise the issue in the Assembly. CPML New Democracy leaders Vankala Madhav Rao, K Kalyan Krishna, and several tribal women joined the protest.