The old age pension for the rural poor will be enhanced to Rs.125 from April next. Speaking to media on Friday, the Agriculture Minister N.Raghuveera Reddy said that the Congress after coming to power had increased the pension from Rs.75 to Rs.100, which would be Rs.125 from April. He said that 16.69 lakh pensioners were getting pension of which four lakh were sanctioned by the Centre. The Chief Minister, YS Rajasekhara Reddy promised to allocate sufficient funds for purchase of Government land for burial and cremation for use by Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
The Minister for Mines Sabita Indra Reddy said only NALCO and APMDC were permitted to take up mining in the Agency of Visakhapatnam district. The Jindal group had agreed to set up Rs 9,000 crores plant outside the agency area, she said. Revenue Minister, Dharmana Prasada Rao said that the Government had established a land bank in the State. Collectors had been directed to identify Government, endowments and surplus lands.