Telangana government had converted over 4,000 thandas as grama panchayats, which was decades old dream of the tribal, said Jagadish Reddy

Suryapet: Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy on Saturday said that tribal hamlets (thandas) have witnessed development in Telangana Latest News, Telangana News | Telangana Todayonly after the formation of a separate state.

About 150 tribal leaders from BJP and Congress parties joined the BRS in the presence of Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy at his camp office here.

Speaking on the occasion, Jagadish Reddy said that the state government had converted over 4,000 thandas as grama panchayats, which was decades old dream of the tribal. It has also led to development of thandas in addition to increasing the political representation of the tribal in the local authorities. Road connectivity and basic amenities were developed in all the thandas in the state, he added. The Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was taken up special programmes for welfare of tribal and development of thandas in the state, he added.

He pointed out that tribal residential schools and colleges have been set up by the state to provide quality education to the students of the community. The state government also distributed pattas for podu lands to the eligible tribal.

Stating that the tribal stood with BRS, he pointed out that posts of sarpanches of majority of grama panchayats, which had been upgraded from the status of hamlets (thandas) were won by the BRS in the local body elections. He asked the tribal to back the BRS in the next elections for continuation of welfare schemes meant for them.

He alleged that the earlier governments of erstwhile Nalgonda district have severely neglected the welfare of tribal and considered them as vote-bank.