Telangana celebrates I-Day with two major schemes
Hyderabad, Aug 15: The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated in Telangana on Wednesday with the launch of two major schemes - free eye screening for all citizens and life insurance for farmers.
Under 'Kanti Velugu', the entire population of 3.7 crore will be provided free eye care. The authorities will not only conduct eye screening but will also provide free medicines, spectacles and arrange for free surgeries, if required.
The government expects that four lakh surgeries will be performed across the state. Under what is claimed to be the first such programme taken up anywhere in the world, the government plans to distribute 40 lakh spectacles.
Unfurling the national flag at the historic Golconda Fort, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao also announced the implementation of another scheme, 'Rytu Bima', aimed at providing life insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to every farmer.
The government will cover 28 lakh farmers aged between 18 and 59 years. The government will bear the annual premium of Rs 2,271 per farmer. It has already paid Rs 636 crore towards premium to Life Insurance Corp.
The insurance documents will be distributed among farmers from Wednesday.
For the fifth consecutive year, Rao unfurled the national flag at Golconda Fort to mark India's Independence Day.
The youngest state of India celebrated the day with gaiety and patriotic fervour, with Rao leading the celebrations at the main official function.
He reviewed a parade by contingents of Telangana State Special Police, State Armed Reserve and City Armed Reserve.
The number of policemen and students participating in the parade was limited due to space constraint. As in the previous four years, there were no tableaux.
After paying tributes to martyrs at a memorial at Parade Ground in Secunderabad, Rao drove to Golconda fort for the main event.
Drummers, tribals and other artists performed on the ramparts to add colour to the festivities.
After formation of the state in 2014, Rao had departed from the over five-decade-old tradition of Independence Day celebrations at the Parade Ground to choose the ancient fort as the venue to showcase the rich legacy of Telangana.
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TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
