The playground in Old Malakpet’s Water Tank area is abuzz with activity. Queues can be seen at the four counters for accepting the filled-in applications for the ‘Praja Palana’ programme— two for women, one general, and one for others.
The programme is being organised across the State— up to January 6 - to collect data about the beneficiaries of Abhaya Hastham— the six guarantees given by the Congress government to the people of the State by their election manifesto.
Women are in predominant numbers among the applicants arriving at the centres. Two tables set up opposite the ground have volunteers filling out the application forms for those who cannot read and write Telugu— the language the form is printed in.
Several applicants hold in their hands, a different application form altogether, which have no mention of Abhaya Hastham, nor displays the photos of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka.
They are the application forms for food security cards. Also commonly referred to as ration cards, they are not part of the Abhaya Hastham, which guarantees pensions, LPG cylinder at ₹500, free electricity up to 200 units of consumption, ₹2,500 monthly assistance to women family heads and housing.
Sana Begum came to the centre seeking additions to her food security card.
“For the past nine years, I have made several rounds of the Mee Seva centres and applied multiple times to have my children included in ration card. It has not happened till now,” she says.
Yamuna, the team leader at the centre said though the programme does not include ration cards, applicants are downloading the forms at the Mee Seva centres, and bringing them to the counters.
“We have instructions to accept all applications from people. Even applications scribbled on a piece of paper are being accepted,” she said.
Up to 4 p.m. on December 30, her centre received a total 2,261 application forms, of which 1,756 were for various offers under Abhaya Hastham, and 505 were for food security cards.
At another centre in Lingojiguda ward, the total 538 applications received on Saturday, contain 408 pertaining to Abhaya Hastham, and 130 to the ration cards.
“Two kinds of food security applications are being received— one for fresh ration cards, and the other for additions to the existing ones,” informed N. Vijay Kumar, the team leader at Lingojiguda.
“People majorly need ration cards, health cards, housing and pensions. The government should focus more on these four aspects, and considering the long queues, should extend the deadline up to January end,” exhorts Syed Bilal, the vice-president of Human Rights Forum, and social activist from Shankar Nagar.
At Ambedkar Community Hall, Shankar Nagar, one cannot miss the political tone. AIMIM has set up a help desk right inside the tent pitched by the GHMC., and posted volunteers to help people fill out the application forms.
The banner shows smaller photographs of Revanth Reddy and legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi and larger ones of MP Asaduddin Owaisi and local MLA Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala. Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka’s photograph is nowhere to be seen. Listed beneath each scheme are more than the required number of documents— at least three to five per scheme.
The volunteer helping with the application forms is exasperated with A. Sunitha, who arrived at the centre seeking pension for her differently abled husband.
“My husband has been paralysed for the past four years, and I made several rounds of the Osmania General Hospital for the disability certificate, but to no avail,” she says.
The volunteer throws up his hands, saying without the disability certificate, pension would not be given.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, through a statement on Saturday, informed that of a total 9,92,234 applications received so far, 8,46,097 were for Abhaya Hastham, and 1,46,137 were for others.
