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Minister Sandhya Rani worships Modakondamma during Jatara

Minister Sandhya Rani worships Modakondamma during Jatara

Hans India14-05-2025

Paderu (ASR District): State Tribal Welfare and Women & Child Welfare Minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani offered silk robes (Pattu Vastralu) on behalf of the state government to the presiding deity Modakondamma at the annual tribal festival, Modakondamma Jatara. On its third day, Tuesday, the minister performed special rituals and prayed for the well-being and prosperity of tribal communities. The temple committee members and officials received the minister with traditional honours. Speaking to the media later, Minister Sandhya Rani expressed her happiness at seeking the blessings of Modakondamma, whom she described as a wish-fulfilling divine tree (Kalpavriksha) for devotees. The minister said that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is committed to ensuring that all eligiblebeneficiaries receive government welfare schemes. She also told that the government is actively working to issue a new Government Order (GO) to replace the existing GO MS No 3. Minister Sandhya Rani further mentioned that Naidu would soon visit the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Appreciating the coordinated efforts of officials and festival committee members, she praised them for successfully organising Modakondamma Jatara. Following the temple visit, the minister inspected various stalls set up by different government departments.
The event was attended by Dr MJ Abhishek Gowda, In-charge District Collector, Amit Bardar, SP, V Abhishek, Polavaram Project Administrative Officer, Shauryaman Patel, Sub-Collector, Kidari Shravan Kumar, GCC Chairman, S Bojjireddy, ST Commission Chairman, Giddi Ishwari, former MLA, M Venkateswara Rao, ITDA Assistant Project Officer, M Hemalatha, Administrative Officer, N Surya Lakshmi, ICDS PD, and Jhansi Rani, Deputy Director, Tribal Welfare Department.
Meanwhile, V Maniram, Joint Director of the Information and Public Relations Department, Zone-1, also visited the temple and offered prayers. District Public Relations Officer P Govinda Rajulu and Special Publicity Wing Assistant Project Officer P Ramulu welcomed him. Later, the Joint Director viewed a photo exhibition organised by the department, where he noted the importance of effectively promoting the development and welfare initiatives of the central and state governments. He encouraged officials to continuously collect public feedback on government schemes and report it to the administration while giving special focus to success stories. The Indian Red Cross Society, Paderu branch, organised a grand Annadanam (mass feeding programme) as part of the Jatara. District Collector AS Dinesh Kumar and other dignitaries attended.

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