AP assembly conducts normal business on third day, question hr continues for 2.5 hrs

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly held its session on the third day on Monday without any troubles as the Opposition Telugu Desam announced a total boycott in protest against the arrest of Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The Question Hour that was drowned in protests in the last two days due to TD protests in the house proceeded smoothly for two and half hours. Ruling YSRC members expressed happiness over this. However, they said it was regrettable that the TD members who posted various questions were not present to hear the answers from various ministers.

When Speaker Tammineni Sitaram resumed the assembly session with Question Hour, Gurazala MLA Mahesh Reddy got a reply from agriculture minister Govardhan Reddy about financial relief to farmers.

The minister said that the government provided Rs 31,005.04 crore as financial assistance to 52.57 lakh farmers under the YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme. “This is a farmer-friendly government and CM Jagan believes that the state will progress only if its farmers progressed.

MLA Mahesh Reddy said the Chief Minister fulfilled every promise but former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, cheated farmers in matters like loan waiver. “Naidu did not fulfill even 10 per cent of his promises. CM Jagan Mohan Reddy paid farmers all the dues left pending by Naidu,” he said.

Social welfare minister Merugu Nagarjuna said lakhs of students were benefiting from the Jagananna's Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena schemes. “This government is giving great importance to education, took steps for the welfare of SCs and is implementing every welfare scheme in an effective and transparent manner,” he said.

He said 26,98,728 students benefited from Vidya Deevena and 25,17,245 from Vasathi Deevena.

Nagarjuna said the present government spent Rs 63,689.58 crore for the welfare of SCs from June 2019 to August 2023 while the previous TD government had spent only '35,250.46 crore from 2014 to 2019. “This shows CM Jagan Mohan Reddy’s dedication towards SC welfare and development,” he claimed.

Denduluru MLA Abbayya Chaudhary said Jagan Mohan Reddy brought revolutionary changes in education and is offering best education in government schools and helping students through English medium teaching to ensure their bright future.

MLA Sudhakar Babu said Naidu never did any good to farmers. Dairy farmers have benefited a lot with the Paalaa Velluva scheme of the YSRC government, he said.

MLA Alla Ramakrishna said Jagan Mohan Reddy's government brought revolutionary changes in the education sector and it was really thrilling to see AP students speaking at the UN the other day.

Water resources minister Ambati Rambabu noted that the bottom one-third part of the third gate of the Gundlakamma project had been washed away due to deterioration of the gate on August 31, 2022. “The vent was closed and water was retained to serve the cops in Rabi 2022-23 through the stop-log gates and sanction has been given for an amount of Rs 917 lakh for repairs and replacement of gates of the reservoir,” he said.