Suryaa Telangana Desk: MLA Bathula Laxma Reddy stated that the Sarpanch is the first citizen of the village. He urged Sarpanches to address village issues by coordinating with Mandal officials, irrespective of politics. During the Miryalaguda Mandal Parishad general body meeting on Tuesday, the MLA requested officials to assess crop losses caused by El Nino and heavy rains to facilitate government assistance. He also called for an assessment of requirements for mandal and village development.
Mandal Agriculture Officer M. Rushendramani advised farmers to opt for dryland crops like black gram and green gram instead of paddy for the upcoming Rabi season, noting that government subsidies are available for these crops. Mandal Education Officer D. Dharma Naik instructed that water should not stagnate in government schools and suggested using VBG Ramji funds to repair dilapidated school buildings.
Mandal Tahsildar J. Srinivas stated that applications for new ration cards can be submitted as it is a continuous process. CDPO M. Venugopal Rao highlighted the prevalence of child marriages in the mandal and requested the cooperation of Sarpanches and secretaries to prevent them. Mandal Medical Officer Dr. Swapna reported that 180 normal deliveries were performed in government hospitals.
Mandal Parishad Development Officer M. Seshagiri Sharma noted that El Nino may lead to shortages of drinking water and fodder, and limited work for agricultural laborers. He suggested constructing soak pits for houses lacking them, community soak pits in low-lying areas, and borewell recharge structures. He also recommended roof-top water harvesting, farm ponds of various dimensions, trenches on hills, water troughs for cattle, and desilting of ponds and canals to improve groundwater levels.
Regarding employment, the MPDO stated that one mate should be appointed for every 30 to 40 wage seekers. He added that wage seekers should work for 7 to 8 hours to earn a daily wage of Rs 308. Furthermore, he advised that drains, soak pits, and toilets in Anganwadi buildings should be constructed using SBM funds, Gram Panchayat funds, and finance commission funds.