Latest news with #Y.Rajesh
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HRF demands immediate restoration of doorstep delivery of rations in tribal areas
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has raised serious concern over the State government's decision to dismantle the doorstep delivery system for distribution of rations. According to Y. Rajesh, HRF AP State general secretary, and V.S. Krishna, HRF AP& Telangana Coordination Committee member, it a setback to the food security of the Adivasi communities. Introduced in 2021, the doorstep delivery model ensured rations were handed over directly to beneficiaries through mobile dispensing units (MDUs), even in remote habitations. This reduced the travel burden for the elderly, persons with disabilities and daily wage workers. In Adivasi areas - especially among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) such as the Chenchus resident in Nallamala forests - this system was a critical step towards ensuring ensuring they were able to access the welfare delivery. At several places, Adivasis are now forced to walk up to 10 km across difficult terrain to access rations. Consequently, many of them are having to forgo their rations altogether because of a clear logistical and financial burden. The State government's claim that beneficiaries were missing rations under the doorstep system is in contrast to evidence on the ground. A field survey by LibTech India, a policy research organisation, covering 790 Adivasi respondents in the Paderu ITDA region of Alluri Sitharamaraju district found that 83% preferred the doorstep delivery system over the depot system for collecting rations. Notably, 92% stated that it had reduced travel distance. While 75% of respondents said that under-delivery was a recurring issue at depots, 65% experienced coercion to purchase additional items. Clearly, for many Adivasi families' residing in remote areas, the doorstep system removed significant travel barriers to access ration supplies. The doorstep delivery system also allowed flexibility. If a household missed the first MDU visit, they could collect their ration from the mini-truck parked later at the local secretariat. In some instances, the trucks returned again within the month. However, instead of strengthening these mechanisms, the present government has chosen to abandon them entirely. The HRF leaders allege that the recent rollback appears to have been driven by a powerful lobby of ration depot dealers who felt threatened by the transparency and accountability introduced by the MDU system. The current decision subverts the core objectives of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, in particular Section 30, and also violates the spirit behind the Scheduled Tribe Componen t(STC) funds that aim to ensure targeted and equitable delivery of welfare services to the Scheduled Tribes. They demanded the immediate restoration of the doorstep ration delivery system across all Adivasi areas, with a provision for depot access to those who miss the MDU. The door delivery model must be strengthened through improved logistics, volunteer support and robust grievance redressal mechanisms.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HRF demands resignation of Home Minister for ‘defending police torture' of Tenali youths
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has criticised Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha for her reported statement defending the action of Tenali police in which three youths, accused of manhandling a constable, were thrashed in full public view. 'The incident, a video clip of which went viral on social media, is a stark display of police impunity,' HRF State general secretary Y. Rajesh and AP&TG Coordination committee member V.S. Krishna said in a statement on Wednesday. 'The reported statement of the Home Minister justifying the police action is an alarming breach of Constitutional responsibility by a person tasked with upholding the law,' they said. Instead of fixing accountability, the Home Minister has 'emboldened a culture of impunity within the police force', the HRD said and demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government initiate an independent and time-bound inquiry into the episode. 'If her (Home Minister's) statement is true, remove her from office. Her endorsement of such excesses not only undermines the Rule of Law but also amounts to a breach of the Constitutional oath,' they said. 'By openly siding with the erring police personnel, the Home Minister has not only abdicated her responsibility as a public servant but also undermined the legal order. Equally troubling is the silence of the Director General of Police over the brazen abuse of power by the Tenali police,' they said. Further, the Home Minister's alleged 'casual dismissal of the caste identities of two of the Dalit victims of police brutality' by saying 'a wrongdoer has no caste or religion' trivialises the systemic nature of caste-based violence, they said. Since the formation of Andhra Pradesh, 'no Home Minister has defended the police torture so openly and unapologetically,' they alleged.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HRF condemns Tenali Police for public beating of accused youth
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has strongly condemned the Tenali police for publicly assaulting three young men accused of attacking a police constable, calling the incident a gross violation of constitutional rights and the rule of law. In a press release on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), HRF Andhra Pradesh State vice-president G. Siva Nageswara Rao, general secretary Y. Rajesh, and secretary G. Rohith, demanded an immediate inquiry into the incident and strict action against the police personnel involved under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A video that surfaced on May 26, 2025, shows two police officers thrashing the youth in public, an act allegedly committed on April 25. According to the HRF, 'Three youth — Vemu Naveen (absconding), Ch. John Victor, Karimulla, and Rakesh — were booked for assaulting a police constable, after a complaint by constable Kanna Chiranjeevi, who allegedly was assaulted by the youth on April 24 over past enmity.' While the accused reportedly have prior criminal cases and were allegedly involved in ganja-related activities, HRF emphasized that no crime warrants public punishment. 'The police must act within the law, not above it. Publicly beating accused persons is an affront to human dignity and justice,' the statement said. Reacting to the development, Guntur District Superintendent of Police S. Satish Kumar told The Hindu that he ordered a detailed inquiry into these allegations and a suitable action will be taken on the persons responsible.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HRF seeks immediate repeal of Waqf(Amendment) Act, 2025
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) A.P. State Committee, has demanded immediate repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which enables the State to acquire the properties of religious organisations. The amendment provides for violation of equality and religious autonomy besides allowing encroachers to own the waqf lands. It also gives scopes for outbreak of riots at Masjids, Dargahs and Muslim burial grounds. The amendment, which questions the very existence of the Muslim minorities, is an 'attack' on the basic structure of the Constitution, HRF State president K.V. Jagannadha Rao and general secretary Y. Rajesh alleged in a statement. While Parliament has the right to amend the Constitution, the Supreme Court had clarified on various occasions in the past, that Parliament has no right to change the basic structure of the Constitution. The HRF leaders sought immediate cancellation of six guidelines in the Waqf Act. These include repeal of the amendment pertaining to appointment of non-Muslims in Waqf Board or the council, upholding Section 40, and strengthening of the rule that 'Once a Waqf, always a Waqf'.
