Hyderabad: Welfare fruits not fully reaching rural people

Hyderabad: In order to understand the needs of rural towns and facilitate all round development, a survey report titled 'Baseline Survey of Aspirational Districts in Telangana' was released on Saturday.

The aspirational districts will join the mainstream only when the fruits of different schemes reach all stakeholders, especially their weaker counterparts, said B P Acharya, DG, Dr MCR HRD Institute. The survey was prepared by Council for Social Development, Southern Regional Centre, Hyderabad.

An ICSSR initiative, it was sponsored by Dr MCR HRDI and the report was authored by Dr Satyam Sunkari. The report deals with contemporary issues such as health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure relating to the transformation of three aspirational districts, namely, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Kumurambheem Asifabad.

Acharya said that the report underlined the need to streamline health-related activities in rural areas, focus on students' knowledge of languages and Mathematics, rejuvenation of water bodies and improvements in cultivable lands for increased agricultural production under MGNREGA, strengthening of market and credit sources at doorstep, and encouragement to flexible financial transactions through rural kiosks at all levels – rural areas, mandal and district.

"The report suggested that the fruits of the Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Skill Development Training under the programs of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY), and Pradhan Manthri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) must reach each and every household through kiosks, apart from State government schemes, as their reach leaves much to be desired," stated Acharya, adding that the report underlined the need for providing multifarious facilities, including all-weather roads under The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Individual Households Latrines (IHHLs), potable drinking water and housing facilities, and better health services by sub-PHCs or PHCs in rural as well as agency areas in addition to creation of new sub-centers of PDS.

Acharya added that the report would be extremely useful not only to provide a rich opportunity to understand the challenges involved in the process of transformation of the aspirational districts but also to design a sound and just institutional mechanisms for this purpose.

A K Goel, former Advisor to Telangana government, Prof Kalpana Kannabiran, director, Council for Social Development, and other eminent persons were among those present on the occasion.