Rajamahendravaram City Member of Parliament Margani Bharat on November 20 (Monday) said that the move to conduct the first caste-based census in Andhra Pradesh should be supported by all the political parties, adding that the census data would help design policies for all communities in the State.
“The idea behind the caste-based census is to enumerate every caste including the nomads comprehensively. We do not find any substantial reason behind criticising the move. The opposition parties should seriously look at the purpose of the exercise,” the MP told the media.
Mr. Bharat said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy deserved to be lauded for his bold initiative to conduct the first caste-based census in the State.
Sand mining
Referring to BJP Andhra Pradesh unit president D. Purandeswari’s allegations on sand mining, Mr. Bharat said, “A revenue of ₹4,500 crore has been generated from the sale of the sand during the YSRCP’s tenure since 2019. Where did the revenue generated from sand mining during the TDP’s rule go?”
Citing the example of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) method adopted for various welfare schemes, Mr. Bharat dared the TDP to prove whether it had fulfilled 25% of its poll promises.
Earlier in the day, the MP inspected Pushkar Ghat and other ghats along the Godavari river and took stock of the security measures undertaken to deal with the rush of devotees during the auspicious Karthika Masam.