TD ‘banks’ on youth

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 05 Nov 2008 09:30:00 AM IST

HYDERABAD: In a bid to woo youth in the next elections, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is proposing to set up a bank exclusively for youths in the State.

The party is also proposing a special fund with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore to extend loans to youth without collateral security on the lines of Dwacra loans.

On the anvil too is a ‘Yuva Nirman’ to train rural youths for self-employment. And that’s not all. A slew of other assurances are to be made at the ‘Yuva Garjana’ tomorrow near Nagarjuna University in Guntur district. To counter Chiranjeevi’s glam effect on coastal youngsters, the TDP has roped in Balakrishna and other heroes. The focus at the garjana, however, will be on corruption in government.

The TDP has hired as many as 22 trains to mobilise youths from all Assembly segments, whereas the Chiranjeevi fans hired only 12 for his maiden public meeting in Tirupati, said a party leader, adding that this showed how intent the TDP was in showing its strength.

The dais would be decorated in a way reflecting the culture of Guntur district.

Two chartered planes will shower petals on the audience. The party’s youth policy will then be unveiled. Already, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that the TDP, if voted to power, would pay Rs 1,000 in dole to unemployed youths. It would also ensure that DSC was conducted regularly and backlog posts for SC and STs filled.

The TDP is also contemplating waiver of loans taken by youth under CMEY and will pressure the Centre to waive PMRY loans.

The TDP’s youth policy has other proposals, including allotment of Central Government jobs for local youths, preparing a ‘‘youth calendar’’ for implementing schemes and setting up a special ministry for youth. Extending PF and ESI facility to youths in the private sector, recognising electronics as a small-scale industry and providing free bus travel to job-seekers also feature in the policy. Permitting youths to write examinations for State Government jobs without paying fee is also being mooted. The TDP will set up centres of the Ramanantha Teertha University in all Assembly segments to train youth in self-employment.