Mortad, September 4 (Gatla News): Balkonda MLA and former Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy called upon the people in every village to question the Congress government, which came to power after announcing ‘Six Guarantees’ but has since completely let down women and the elderly. He spoke as the chief guest at a women’s conference and a ‘Vanta-Varpu’ (community cooking protest) held at the Mortad mandal headquarters on Friday. As part of the protest, MLA Vemula joined the women in playing Bathukamma. Video clips of promises made by Revanth Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka during the elections were displayed on an LED screen at the venue, exposing the rulers’ double standards before the public. Vemula Prashanth Reddy recalled that the process of sanctioning pensions during previous Congress and TDP regimes was extremely dismal. He noted the dire situation where a new pension would not be granted unless someone in the village passed away, and pensions of a mere ₹200 were provided to only a token 50 or 100 people in the entire village. It was stated that after the formation of Telangana state, CM KCR adopted a humanitarian approach and increased the pension amount from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, thereby ensuring a dignified life for the beneficiaries. Displaying the “guarantee cards” that the then CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka had distributed door-to-door, the MLA detailed the outstanding dues the government owes to the people. Despite promising ₹2,500 per month to every woman aged 18 and above, not a single rupee has been paid so far; calculating the dues for the elapsed period, the government owes ₹82,500 to each woman. He pointed out that the government reneged on its promise to increase pensions for the elderly, widows, single women, and beedi workers from ₹2,000 to ₹4,000. The government owes approximately ₹16,500 per family in unpaid benefits. They also failed to deliver on the promise to provide one *tulam* (10 grams) of gold in addition to ₹1,00,116 to Kalyana Lakshmi beneficiaries; since the Congress government took office, marriages of about 5,000 women have taken place in the Balkonda constituency, yet not one of them received the promised gold. Vemula Prashanth Reddy alleged that the Congress government is severely deceiving the public under the guise of free electricity and free bus travel. He criticized the government for offering free electricity for consumption up to 200 units but doubling tariff rates and forcibly collecting bills amounting to thousands of rupees when usage exceeds 200 units during the summer. Women turned out in large numbers voluntarily. Constituency leaders, party workers, and public representatives also participated.
sanctioning pensions during previous Congress and TDP regimes was extremely dismal. He noted the dire situation where a new pension would not be granted unless someone in the village passed away, and pensions of a mere ₹200 were provided to only a token 50 or 100 people in the entire village. It was stated that after the formation of Telangana state, CM KCR adopted a humanitarian approach and increased the pension amount from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, thereby ensuring a dignified life for the beneficiaries. Displaying the “guarantee cards” that the then CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka had distributed door-to-door, the MLA detailed the outstanding dues the government owes to the people. Despite promising ₹2,500 per month to every woman aged 18 and above, not a single rupee has been paid so far; calculating the dues for the elapsed period, the government owes ₹82,500 to each woman. He pointed out that the government reneged on its promise to increase pensions for the elderly, widows, single women, and beedi workers from ₹2,000 to ₹4,000. The government owes
approximately ₹16,500 per family in unpaid benefits. They also failed to deliver on the promise to provide one *tulam* (10 grams) of gold in addition to ₹1,00,116 to Kalyana Lakshmi beneficiaries; since the Congress government took office, marriages of about 5,000 women have taken place in the Balkonda constituency, yet not one of them received the promised gold. Vemula Prashanth Reddy alleged that the Congress government is severely deceiving the public under the guise of free electricity and free bus travel. He criticized the government for offering free electricity for consumption up to 200 units but doubling tariff rates and forcibly collecting bills amounting to thousands of rupees when usage exceeds 200 units during the summer. Women turned out in large numbers voluntarily. Constituency leaders, party workers, and public representatives also participated.
