Vijayawada: Tribal welfare minister Gummidi Sandhyarani has emphasised ongoing efforts to enhance education, healthcare, drinking water, and road infrastructure in tribal villages across the state.On Friday, she led a review meeting with officials from nine ITDAs and other relevant departments to assess progress.Following the meeting, minister Sandhyarani told reporters that basic infrastructure upgrades will be completed in all schools by June, ensuring readiness for the upcoming academic year. She credited HRD Minister Nara Lokesh for allocating 156 crore to improve tribal school facilities. Meanwhile, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu prioritized providing drinking water to over 4,000 tribal villages, with significant progress already made. He has also directed improvements in education, healthcare, irrigation, and road connectivity across tribal areas.Minister Sandhyarani said ICDS programs are being integrated intotribal welfare initiatives, ensuring nutritious meals for children across 2,000 Anganwadi centres and 1,268 mini Anganwadi centers. Additionally, under the chief minister’s directive, efforts are underway to replace thatched huts with permanent housing, with land allocations set at 3 cents per village plot and 2 cents for municipalities.She also spotlighted the increasing cultivation of Araku coffee, expanding to one lakh acres this year, alongside advancements in agriculture and horticulture.However, concerns remain regarding doctor retention in tribal areas, prompting new appointment policies to ensure better healthcare accessibility.
