AP: CPI-M suggests correction for Jalayagnam

Hyderabad, May 20: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Andhra Pradesh Secretary B V Raghavulu today suggested to the ruling Congress to adopt a ''mid-course correction'' for its Rs 1,00,000 crore irrigation initiative ''Jalayaganam.'' ''The flagship scheme of the Rajasekhara Reddy Government to provide assured irrigation water is suffering from cost escalation and time overruns with the money spent on them only going waste,'' he claimed while participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) here.

The Government would not be able to complete these projects even if it spent Rs 4,00,000 crore, he claimed and alleged that it had neglected social sectors like health and education by allocating a lion's share for irrigation projects.

The government was unable to complete even minor and medium irrigation projects within the stipulated time, he contended, adding that it should prioritise the projects and complete a list of selected projects first and take up other projects in phases.

Another flagship programme INDIRAMMA had proved to be a ''burden'' for the common man with the increase in raw material costs due to rocketing inflation, he claimed.

The Chief Minister's pet project Arogyasree had only benefitted the corporate private insurance company at the cost of poor patients solely dependent upon the Public Health system, he noted.

UNI