Metro India News | AMARAVATI

In a significant move aimed at improving the quality of life in tribal areas, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has sanctioned Rs.156 crore for infrastructure and drinking water projects. Tribal Welfare and Women & Child Development Minister Gummidi Sandhya Rani announced the allocation during a high-level review meeting with Project Officers from all nine Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs) and officials from key line departments at the Tribal Welfare Department headquarters in Vijayawada on Friday.

Minister Sandhya Rani emphasized the government’s commitment to delivering essential services such as education, healthcare, roads, and potable water to all tribal villages across the state. She noted that this allocation, sanctioned with the special initiative of Minister Nara Lokesh, would ensure that all tribal schools are equipped with compound walls and basic infrastructure before the start of the academic year in June.

Providing safe drinking water to remote villages remains a top priority. The minister revealed that under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s directive, efforts were underway to ensure drinking water supply in over 4,000 tribal villages, with the majority already covered. She reaffirmed that the Chief Minister had instructed departments to focus on roads, education, irrigation, and clean drinking water in tribal areas.

She assured that the government would implement measures to ensure doctors live and work within the tribal communities, thereby enhancing access to quality healthcare. Facilities such as birth waiting halls have been established to support pregnant women, and new mothers are being transported home safely through the Thalli-Bidda Express service.

The minister highlighted a focused effort to improve identity documentation among tribal populations. Special drives are being planned to issue Aadhaar and ration cards to those who currently lack them. In agriculture, the government is expanding the globally renowned Araku Coffee cultivation to 1 lakh acres this year, while placing renewed emphasis on tribal farming and horticulture.

Skill development for tribal youth is another priority. The government is offering training programs to equip them for employment, and more than 2,000 tribal candidates have already secured jobs through the recent Mega DSC recruitment drive.  “We aim to make Andhra Pradesh a state free from the sound of ‘doli’—a metaphor for maternal hardship. We are working with firm resolve to bring dignity, safety, and prosperity to every tribal household.”