Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed district officials to take strict action against brokers selling application forms for availing the benefits for the six poll guarantees announced by the Congress.
The forms were being sold for Rs 50 or Rs 100 by unscrupulous brokers although the government did not charge any fee. An annoyed Chief Minister told officials to make the application form available to the public after reports that the public were being taken for a ride as they had to shell out money to buy the forms.
The District Collectors and other officials have started posting the links to the application forms on social media so that the common public can access the forms easily. On the first day the application forms that were being distributed to the public by officials had quickly been exhausted and brokers seized the opportunity to sell the forms.
During a review meeting of the Praja Palana programme, which was being held in every village and ward so that the beneficiaries of the schemes can submit their applications, he enquired how many Gram Sabhas have been conducted in the state and suggested that public representatives too should participate in the government-public interface.
He also directed officials to ensure that beneficiaries are not inconvenienced while submitting the application forms. Arrangements for drinking water and tents should be made for the people coming to the Gram Sabhas.
The exercise kicked off by the new Congress government has witnessed tremendous response from the general public. There has been a huge rush on the first two days of the Praja Palana programme.
The Chief Minister also clarified that existing beneficiaries of the input subsidy scheme for farmers (Rythu Bandhu) as well as the pensions need not apply again. Only new beneficiaries should apply to avail the benefits, he said.