Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday kickstarted the NTR Bharosa scheme – providing enhanced pensions for various categories of people.
He drove straight to the hut of Islavath Sai in Penumaka village of Tadepalli block and handed over the pension to her and her father, Banavath Pamulyanayak, and his wife, Banavath Sita, all three being daily-wage earners.
Why did Naidu launch the scheme in Penumaka, instead of some interior area in Rayalaseema or North Andhra?
According to sources, there is more than one reason for Naidu choosing this place.
First, Penumaka falls under the Mangalagiri assembly constituency represented by his son and TDP general secretary, Nara Lokesh. Obviously, he wanted to secure a lot of goodwill for his son, who is expected to be his heir apparent in the coming years.
Secondly, Penumaka is one of the few villages where local farmers refused to give away their lands for the construction of the capital city at Amaravati under the land pooling system. In fact, this village, which is close to the highway, was once considered a bastion of the YSR Congress Party.
The entire village stood by former YSRCP MLA from the Mangalagiri constituency, Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, who filed several cases against Naidu and other TDP leaders.
The villagers also refused to part with their lands when the former TDP government served them land acquisition notices and moved the court.
“Penumaka is very important for Amaravati, as the Seed Access Road of the capital city will have to pass through the village to join the national highway. This seed access road has been stopped at Penumaka and did not progress further due to resistance from the villagers,” sources said.
That is why Naidu launched the pension scheme from Penumaka. Later, addressing the gathering, he said he was confident that the villagers would cooperate with the government in developing Amaravati by providing access to the Seed Access Road.
“They opposed Amaravati in the past. I am sure they will help the government to fulfill the unfinished work in the capital city,” he said.
