Lokesh vows to fulfil poll promises in 100 days

Vijayawada : Stating that they have successfully brought hunger to an end with the relaunching of Anna canteens, minister for education, information technology (IT) and electronics, Nara Lokesh said here on Friday that the TDP-led NDA government was determined to fulfil its election promises within 100 days of coming to power.

Relaunching the Anna canteens at Nulakapeta and at the old bus stand in Mangalagiri, the minister regretted that an MLA from the YSRCP is making fun of the poor. “It is really painful to know that a YSRCP MLA is making a mockery of the poor,” Lokesh remarked.

Standing in the queue, Lokesh had his breakfast along with those who are in waiting. Reaffirming the commitment of the state government to fulfil all the promises made to the people of Mangalagiri, he said that 100 Anna canteens were already reopened and the remaining too will be relaunched on a war footing basis.

Criticising the previous government for closing the canteens with just one signature, the minister said that when he raised the issue in Legislative Council, the then minister for municipal administration promised to reopen them. “But they never made any attempt to reopen these canteens and when I asked the then government, they replied that the expenditure is heavy to manage them,” he added.

Lokesh, however, while in the Opposition has managed four Anna canteens with his personal expenditure in Mangalagiri constituency. These canteens served food at merely Rs 2 per meal at Mangalagiri town, Nulakapeta in Tadepalli, Railpet in Duggirala and Revendrapadu getting funding from personal funds of Lokesh.

Lokesh said former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, while in power had spent a whopping Rs 700 crore for printing his own photos on passbooks and on survey stones. A very luxurious palace was built atop Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam with Rs 500 crore but closed Anna canteens stating that Rs 200 crore had to be spent per annum to manage them, he pointed out.

Recalling that the first annadanam (free food supply) programme was launched by TDP founder NT Rama Rao at Tirumala, the minister said that now Rs 1,800 crore is available as fixed deposits with the TDD Annaprasadam Trust. Similarly, a trust will soon be formed for Anna canteens which will run them in the most transparent way, he added.

The minister felt an urgent need to strengthen the government schools and colleges to increase the admission rate and said that steps are being taken to ensure that the teachers focus only on their profession. “I am confident that the government educational institutions will be developed in such a way that they compete with the private institutions,” he added.

Lokesh made it clear that stringent action will certainly be initiated against all those who deliberately violated the norms to create troubles to innocent persons. “Son of the former minister Jogi Ramesh had purchased the AgriGold lands and got them registered in his name with fake documents. Should we not take action against such persons?” he said.

The minister said that the YSRCP has not learnt any lessons despite people totally rejecting the party. Anyone wants to join the NDA should first resign the post that he or she is holding and only then they can join, he said, adding that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has already made this amply clear.