Utilise central funds properly: Kavitha

Nizamabad: Vigilance and Monitoring Committee chairperson and local MP Kalvakuntla Kavita directed the officials to make better use of the Centre’s drought-relief programmes and funds to mitigate the drought.

Chairing the vigilance and monitoring committee meeting held at the Pragathi Bhavan here on Tuesday, she termed the district administration’s measures to mitigate the drinking water crisis, especially in rural areas as satisfactory. However, she wanted the officials to take measures and prepare an action plan and implement it till the arrival of the monsoon.

Kavitha said that the individual toilets being built under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme should be completed as early as possible so that the villages could become open defecation-free. Measures to construct health sub-centers and offices of VROs and Anganwadi centers under the MGNREGS should be taken up, she told the officials.

Though problems cropped up regarding allotment of pensions as per the comprehensive family survey, undertaken by the State Government, the government was giving a serious thought to give pensions to the eligible Joginis, she said.

Expressing concern over the private hospitals making surgeries unnecessarily to treat cervical cancer patients, she asked the officials to route the patients to government hospitals wherever surgical treatment facilities were available. Moreover, she told them to sensitise beedi workers on cervical cancer since they were prone to it.

Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said that infant and maternal mortality rates in the district came down with the implementation of the Arogya Lakshmi scheme. He also said that performing cervical cancer surgeries only to make more money should be discouraged.

The Chief Minister is keen on filling vacant posts in hospitals and was ready to spend at the rate of Rs 6,000 per month for each of the 17, 675 hospital beds to provide amenities and services.

Minister for Industries and Textiles Jupally Krishna Rao highlighted the TS-iPASS system being implemented in the state and rated it as the best in world. Under the system, all permissions needed to set up industries are being granted in 15 days to enable the prospective industrialists to set up their units in the State.

The first ever food park works being set up in Nizamabad district are progressing. Units in the park will be grounded shortly, he said.

District Collector Yogita Rana listed out measures to mitigate drinking water crisis like deepening of borewells and their flushing, hiring 515 bore wells, laying pipelines and maintained that there would be no problem in drinking water supply to the city till June 15. Saucer pits are developed in forest areas to quench the thirst of wild animals.

Further, a programme to sensitise people on soakpits, magic pits and open wells to improve the ground water table in the district has been undertaken, she said. The meeting also reviewed progress achieved by the adult education, energy department, and education department and so on. MP of Zaheerabad BB Patil, ZP Chairperson D Babu, city mayor Sujata and others were present on the occasion.