Government Will Support Traditional Livelihoods, Says Ponnam Prabhakar

The Telangana government is committed to strengthening traditional occupations and improving the economic prospects of rural families, Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said on Saturday.

Addressing the first general meeting of the Karimnagar District Sheep and Goat Rearers Cooperative Society at Indira Bhavan, Prabhakar said the government was working to provide better support to communities dependent on traditional occupations. He said measures were being pursued to improve the livelihoods of sheep and goat rearers through insurance cover, better marketing facilities and veterinary services.

Prabhakar said he had brought to the government's notice the demand to provide pensions to people engaged in traditional occupations from the age of 50. He also suggested examining the possibility of making government land available for sheep and goat rearing.

Emphasising the importance of education, the Minister urged families to ensure that their children received a good education. He said education was the strongest foundation for a child's future and could help families improve their social and economic conditions alongside their traditional occupations.

Prabhakar also recalled his association with Dr BR Ambedkar's legacy in Karimnagar. He said that while serving as an MP in 2013, he had named the Karimnagar bus station after Dr BR Ambedkar on the occasion of his birth anniversary. He said he was pleased that 13 years later, an Ambedkar statue had been unveiled at the same bus station.

He said the government would continue to draw inspiration from Ambedkar's ideals of equality, social justice and constitutional values, while also carrying forward the ideals of Chakali Ailamma, Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

Earlier, Prabhakar and Minister Vakiti Srihari paid floral tributes to Chakali Ailamma at her statue on the Karimnagar Collectorate Road on the occasion of her birth anniversary.

Prabhakar said the government was also committed to the welfare of RTC employees, protection of the public transport corporation and passenger safety. He said steps would be taken to strengthen public transport while addressing the welfare needs of its workers.

MLAs Kavvampally Satyanarayana and Medipally Satyam, along with corporation chairpersons, corporators and other leaders, attended the programmes.