At one go, he granted the money to the villagers in the form of personal benefits.
Hyderabad: Perhaps no other Chief Minister in the country would have showered Rs 200 crore in a single day on his native village as did Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) who turned nostalgic on visiting his native village, Chintamadaka in Siddipet district on 22 July. At one go, he granted a whopping Rs 200 crore to the villagers in the form of personal benefits to them all.
What made the villagers who gathered to see their one-time co-resident and now Chief Minister of the state go rapturous was his announcement that each of the 2,000 families there would get at least a direct benefit of around Rs 10 lakh from the government, for their personal as well as vocational needs. Besides, they will all get brand new houses built on government money and redesigned village with wide roads, etc.
Chintamadaka, where KCR was born 65 years ago, is a sleepy village with around 650 families and most of its people depend on agriculture and small businesses and vocations like any other habitat in the state, or the country for that matter. KCR studied here up to primary school and later went to several other surrounding villages for his higher education and later for his political journey.
KCR added a thousand more families, including those who got married recently and those from nearby hamlets attached to Chintamadaka, and made a round figure of 2,000. At the rate of Rs 10 lakh per family, the entire village will get Rs 200 crore from the state exchequer. “Before coming here, I took a nod from the finance secretary and the money would be released in a day or two,” KCR announced. KCR’s visit to his native village is part of his promise to the villagers when he went there to cast his vote in the Assembly elections on 7 December last year. Needless to say, the entire village was a stronghold of his TRS since he founded the party in 2001. After casting his vote then, KCR told the villagers that he would soon come there to meet all his old friends and acquaintances.
He kept his word after a gap of eight months, but not without sufficient homework. The Chief Minister wanted that his visit to his birthplace should be a memorable one for the entire Chintamadaka. He sent his nephew and Siddipet MLA T. Harish Rao well in advance to find out the needs of the village and surrounding areas. Harish in a series of visits to the village gathered inputs from the villages and prepared a wish-list.
The first half of the day of his visit to the village went by KCR addressing the gathering and telling them that he was committed to see that no single family there would be allowed to live in poverty. “Do whatever you want; I will give your money at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per family. Sanctioning of funds is not a problem for me, but making use of it is your responsibility,” he told the villagers. “I am not going to force you to do this or that, do whatever you like. Some of you can set up a dairy farm, or a poultry farm or set up a harvesting machines unit, a tractor or go for any other business of your choice, but see that you are benefited out of it. I want to see each of your faces with happiness and prosperity,” the CM told the villagers.
“I am lucky to be born and brought up in this village full of love and affection. I am fortunate enough to have enjoyed the patronage of some school teachers who made me a poet, writer and in that way, helped me grow to this (CM) level. Without the blessings of this village, I wouldn’t have been here today, so this is my way of thanking to Chintamadaka,” KCR said.
The CM also announced liberal funds to the tune of around Rs 400 crore to other surrounding villages in the Siddipet Assembly constituency from where he was MLA for five terms. The CM urged Harish Rao and District Collector Venkatram Reddy to see that the funds sanctioned by him were utilised properly and every family of Chintamadaka was benefited.
Later, KCR went round the village and recalled his memories in the areas where he had played around with his friends and turned nostalgic several times. KCR hosted a sumptuous non-vegetarian lunch for all the villagers, before wrapping up his visit. KCR promised to visit Chintamadaka again in “Shravana masam” that falls in September and October to see the progress of the works.
KCR’s splurging of funds on his native village, however, evoked sharp criticism from the Opposition Congress and BJP. Congress legislature party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that the CM’s visit reminded one of yesteryears’ feudal era where kings and royals used to shower gifts on people. KCR, anticipating this criticism, said at Chintamadaka that he didn’t care for attacks from the Opposition.