Sharmila expresses concern over mass exodus of youth in search of jobs

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila Reddy voiced concerns over the mass exodus of youth from the State in search of employment opportunities elsewhere. She attributed this trend to the lack of industries due to the absence of Special Category Status (SCS) as both Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy have not put in any efforts to achieve it, leading to a dearth of employment prospects.

She was speaking during her AP Nyay Yatra campaign, under which she held road shows in Srikalahasti, Satyavedu and Nagari constituencies of the erstwhile Chittoor district on Sunday.

Sharmila reiterated the Congress party's pledge to grant 10 years of SCS to Andhra Pradesh once it assumes power at the Centre, with Rahul Gandhi committing to sign the file first as Prime Minister.

Highlighting the staggering number of 2.3 lakh job vacancies in the State, she criticised Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for failing to fulfill his promise of filling these vacancies and announcing a ‘Daga DSC’ with a meagre 6,500 posts ahead of the elections.

In addition to addressing employment issues, Sharmila outlined the Congress party's commitments, including the fulfillment of all aspects under the AP Reorganisation Act, waiver of agricultural loans up to Rs 2 lakh and the completion of the Dugarajapatnam port. She also criticised CM Jagan for deviating from his promise of providing financial aid to families through the Amma Vodi scheme to two children in a family and actually giving it to only one child. She also expressed concern over the rising cost of living, accusing the government of offering clay pot taking away silver pots from the poor by burdening them.

She detailed the Congress party's social welfare agenda, promising Rs 4,000 monthly pensions for the elderly, Rs 6,000 for the physically challenged and the construction of houses worth Rs 5 lakh for homeless poor families. She emphasised the empowerment of women by allocating Rs 1 lakh annually to each impoverished family, with the funds directed to female members. Sharmila asserted the Congress party's dedication to the State's development, contrasting it with what she perceived as neglect by other political parties, particularly accusing both Chandrababu Naidu and CM Jagan of prioritising their relationship with Prime Minister Modi over the welfare of Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing local concerns, she criticised Srikalahasti MLA Biyyapu Madhusudan Reddy terming him as ‘Vasul Raja,’ ‘Encroachment King’ and taking part in the sand and gravel mafia, and had driven away potential investors. She also pointed out that Satyavedu has two MLAs in Adimulam and his son and urged voters to consider their options carefully before voting. She urged the electorate to vote for Congress party’s hand symbol and elect Rajesh Naidu (Srikalahasti), Balaguruvam Babu (Satyavedu) and Rakesh Reddy (Nagari) as MLAs and Chinta Mohan as Tirupati MP.

Meanwhile, Chinta Mohan's absence from Sharmila's meetings sparked speculation, particularly given his concurrent visit to New Delhi, prompting discussions among residents of Srikalahasti and Satyavedu.