Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya
The wide network of postal offices in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh can be used to implement various social welfare schemes of the Centre, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said in Hyderabad today.
"Services of post-offices could be used to issue unique (smart) cards to people working in unorganised sectors to enable them to access social welfare schemes. The post-offices can also double up as mini-centres of employment exchanges at village level," Mr Dattatreya told reporters.
There are more than 16,000 post offices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Earlier, the minister held a review meeting with Chief Post Master, AP Postal Circle, General Sudhakar and BSNL AP Circle Chief General Manager PV Muralidhar Rao along with CVD Ram Prasad, Director Software Technology Park of India and other senior officials.
Mr Sudhakar said that on a pilot basis, postal department is working on a project to help the farmers in marketing their produce. The postal staff takes photos of the farm produce of the farmers and uploads them on the websites.
"Buyers can access the details and buy directly from the famers," the chief post master said adding that the postal department will also provide logistic support to this end.
The health centres, banks, post offices and cell phone towers should be provided uninterrupted power supply and for this the central government is ready to assist through Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Mr Dattatreya said.
Ram Prasad said that if the land is allotted by government, new centre will come up in Karimnagar town and the existing STPI park in Warangal will be expanded.
Muralidhar Rao said that to give internet connectivity to every village, Optical Fiber Network is being strengthened. On the Telangana government's move to demolish the heritage building of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) in Hyderabad, the Union Minister, "Instead of this, the Telangana Chief Minister should think on the revival of the heritage building."
He said he will also write a letter to K Chandrasekhar Rao in this regard.