AP Govt Revs Up Welfare Schemes In Odisha’s Kotia Village

Koraput: Andhra Pradesh government has intensified implementation of its welfare scheme in the bordering Kotia village of Koraput district, taking advantage of the gaps left open by its Odisha counterpart.

According to reports, the Andhra Pradesh officials have implemented the welfare scheme ‘Janmabhumi’ in some villages by providing food security card, old age pension and distributing nutritious food among the children. They have also revised the Aadhaar card of the people of Kotia and its nearby villages.

Apart from this, the Andhra Pradesh government has constructed a check dam at Simba and floated a tender for construction of a road between Kotia and Tadiwalsa at an estimated cost of Rs 48 lakh without the knowledge of the Odisha government.

Taking note of the illegal activities of the Andhra Pradesh government in Kotia panchayat, the Odisha government had announced an inclusive development programme of Rs 150 crore. Sadly, it is yet to be implemented. On the other hand, the state government has started the process for identification of beneficiaries for KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme.

Asked about the matter, Koraput collector K Sudarshan Chakraborty said the district officials are working in the Kotia panchayat. “I have no knowledge about the activities of the Andhra government in the panchayat. But if this has been reported in the media, I’ll look into the matter,” he told the mediapersons here on Saturday.