State govt faces heat over benefits to martyrs' families

Hyderabad: The government's move to provide jobs to the kin of Telangana martyrs has created ripples, with pro-Telangana organisations raising objections and threatening to launch an agitation over the government keeping out a large number of eligible families from the beneficiary list.
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, earlier this month, had promised that a member of each family that lost a loved one during the statehood movement would be given a government job and appointment letters would be issued during the state formation day celebrations on June 2.Accordingly, the revenue (freedom fighters) department issued a government order (GO Ms No 80) on Tuesday.
The move is part of scheme previously announced, under which families of Telangana martyrs are to be given Rs 10 lakh each as monetary assistance in addition to a house or cultivable land and government job. The authorities had distributed the financial aid to 459 families in January this year. Government sources said these families would be considered for providing employment too, since they are the officially identified beneficiaries of the Telangana Amaraveerula Pathakam.
Pro-Telangana organizations, however, have disputed the number of beneficiary families and have demanded that the scheme cover all families of martyrs of both the 1963 agitation as well as the 2009-2014 movement.
"It can't be a token gesture covering a few beneficiaries. If the government is really sincere in its efforts to honour martyrs, then it must see to it that the benefit reaches every eligible family," said Cheruku Sudhakar, chairman of Telangana Udyama Vedika, which has put the actual number of beneficiaries at 1,400.
Meanwhile, other organizations, including Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) and Telangana Unemployed Joint Action Committee, are insisting that the government give the benefits to at least 1,200 families. This is the number of martyrs officially stated by the government in the legislative assembly.
Official records say 369 activists were killed in different firing incidents during the 1969 movement. However, the government included only two families from among them for the job scheme. "According to the chief minister's statement in the assembly, the number of martyrs in the 2009-2014 movement was 1,200, while official records say 369 activists were killed during the 1969 movement. If the government fails to give justice to all families, then it will face the heat," said Pittala Ravinder, state convener of TJAC.
While the TJAC is planning to observe Telangana Self-Respect Day on June 1, the Telangana Unemployed JAC is planning to launch a widespread agitation, titled Telangana Vimukti Poru, on the same day. Meanwhile, Sudhakar said his organization would wait till June 2, and launch a massive state-wide movement if the government fails to honour all bereaved families.
Apart from government jobs for the bereaved families, pro-Telangana organizations want the government to give the same benefits to those who were handicapped during the statehood movement. Mamidi Narayana, president of Telangana Udyogula Sangham, said more than 3,000 people were crippled during the Telangana movement.
"Thousands of students lost their academic years, many of them missed out on getting government jobs. If the job scheme does not cover them, it means the government is dishonouring the Telangana movement," said Manvatha Roy, president of Telangana Unemployed JAC.