VISAKHAPATNAM: In a gesture that brought relief to tribal families, footwear was distributed on Thursday to 345 individuals from 87 families, following the intervention of Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
The initiative stems from Pawan’s visit to Pedapadu on March 7 during his tour of Dumbriguda mandal in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. During his interaction with the villagers, the Deputy CM noticed an elderly tribal woman, Pangi Mitha, attending the public programme barefoot. Concerned by the lack of footwear in the village, he promptly directed officials to provide shoes or slippers to all residents, from children to the elderly.
In response to his instructions, a survey was conducted to record the number of families, individuals, and their footwear sizes. Based on this data, footwear was procured under the supervision of the Deputy Chief Minister’s office.
On Thursday, officials led by Boyipalli Pawan from the Deputy CM’s office visited every household in Pedapadu to distribute the footwear. Local representatives, including Sarpanch Venkatarao, Ward Member Ramunaidu, APM Dorababu, and Field Assistant Shanta Kumari, assisted with the distribution.
Pedapadu, located just a kilometre from the popular Dumbriguda Waterfalls, is a small tribal village that lacks basic infrastructure. Residents have long struggled with the absence of a proper road, bridge, and adequate facilities in their homes.
“Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan visited our village and saw the conditions firsthand. He assured us that steps would be taken to address the lack of infrastructure,” said a group of villagers. “We are grateful for his attention to our need for footwear,” they added.