27/10/2022

1 Ensure proper upkeep of TIDCO houses, Chief Minister tells officials

Context:
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, at a review meeting on ‘Housing and TIDCO houses’, stressed the
need for proper upkeep of the TIDCO houses.

The TIDCO should work in coordination with the representatives of the welfare associations.
The government should stand by the residential welfare associations in proper maintenance of
the TIDCO houses, he said.
Background:
APTIDCO full form is Andhra Pradesh Township and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
AP TIDCO is the state-level nodal agency for the central government’s affordable housing
scheme known as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The agency is entrusted with the responsibility of planning, developing, financing and
implementing affordable housing across the state under the municipal administration and Urban
Development Department.
After a wait of over two years, the government of Andhra Pradesh recently prepared a plan and
announced the allotment of houses developed by the Andhra Pradesh Township and
Infrastructure Development Corporation (AP TIDCO).

Under this plan, the government will provide the beneficiaries with AP TIDCO houses, spanning
an area of 300 sq ft at the cost of rupee one.
The development of around five lakh houses by TIDCO, in the G+3 apartment plan, had begun
in the urban areas under the housing scheme.
The basic structure of about 2.62 lakh houses has been completed in various towns of the state.
However, work on the remaining 2.4 lakh houses did not begin owing to technical issues,
including pending land acquisition.
Provision of basic facilities and works costing around Rs 3,000 crores, related to the
infrastructure in these TIDCO townships, were yet to be completed under the previous
government’s tenure. The state government now aims to spend Rs 9,500 crores, for completing
the TIDCO housing project by 2022.

Housing scheme
 The government is working towards completing the construction of 28.3 lakh homes for the
eligible families at a cost of Rs 1,08,553 crores by 2023. As many as 15,60,227 houses were
under construction under the first phase of the housing scheme. About 12.7 lakh homes would be
constructed in the second phase. Around Rs 1,200 crores would be spent on drinking water and
Rs 32,909 crores for infrastructure facilities like roads, power and drainage systems in the
colonies.

2. Solution finally in sight to long-pending issue of 22A

Context:
The State government has decided to form a committee to look into the issue of 22A and
recommend a solution to the Collectors. A G.O. has been passed for the constitution of the
committee, which will look into district-wise cases. The composition of the panel is yet to be
decided.

Background:
 This comes in the wake of a hue and cry by the opposition over the deletion of Daspalla
lands from the 22A list in Visakhapatnam.

 While 64 families who have built houses on the Daspalla lands stand to benefit by the
deletion, the number is insignificant compared to the thousands of lands which are still
embroiled in this list.

 There are many people who have invested their life savings to buy an apartment or a
house on a small plot after verifying that it was free of disputes. However, they came to
know subsequently that their property was included under 22A by the government.

 The committee will look into files which have some records missing and those which are
of questionable authenticity. The committee will examine the cases and give its
recommendations and opinions.
 Once the proposed committee takes up these cases, a solution should emerge.

Section 22 in The Registration Act, 1908

 Under Section-22A, there are several categories:
 22 A 1(a)— all assigned land or land given to individual for a purpose and which cannot
be sold or transferred;
 22A 1(b)— land belonging to the Union and the State governments;
 22A 1(c)—land belonging to Endowments Department, Wakf board or any religious
institution;
  22A 1(d)— land notified under ULC (urban land ceiling), and
 22A 1(e)— land allotted by the government to institutions or private establishments for a
purpose.
 Any land that fall under these categories and have been encroached or sold fraudulently,
will come under this list and there will be no further registration, unless the case is
considered by the revenue authorities and a NOC (no objection certificate) is obtained.

 Once a land or apartment complex comes under 22A, the owners can neither sell it or
transfer it nor can they mortgage the property for a loan. Many people who were in dire
need of money were forced to sell their properties at prices far lesser than prevailing
market rates.
 Both the SITs, one which was formed in 2017-18 and the other in 2019, had received
hundreds of applications regarding the 22A issue.
 Both the SITs had recommended sub-division of survey numbers wherever feasible in
order to provide an easy and quick solution to the petitioners. However, no response has
been forthcoming from the Revenue department.

3. Power utilities to implement three-pronged strategy to meet increasing demand

Context
The power utilities are gearing up to implement a three-pronged strategy—enhancement of
power generation capacity, providing quality power at affordable price and reducing
transmission and distribution (T&D) losses.

Background:
 To tide over the present power shortage and overcome the demand supply gap, the State
plans to optimise power generation, reduce aggregate technical and commercial losses
and implement effective energy management and focus on conservation.

 In view of the rising demand, the thermal power plants at the SDSTPK Krishnapatnam
Stage-II and Dr. NTTPS (800 MW) at Ibrahimpatnam are major steps towards enhancing
power generation.
 The 800 MW super critical unit at Krishnapatnam generates 19 million units of electricity
per day .
 It uses less coal when compared to the normal thermal power units, reducing the negative
impact on the environment.
  The Stage-II unit of the SDSTPS has been designed to run entirely on domestically-
produced coal, which in turn will help reduce the cost of power generation.
 It is the first supercritical thermal power plant in the country in the public sector.

 The power utilities has saved around ₹4,925 crore through cost-effective power
purchases and other best practices in the last three years.
 The transmission losses that were around 3.10 % in 2018-19 financial year, were reduced
to 2.83% by May 2022.
4. Anantapur police come to the rescue of joginis, assure them of all help
Context:
The Anantapur district police, in association with Rural Development Trust, have embarked on a
mission to identify and rescue Joginis, Basavinis and suicide survivors by bringing them back
into the mainstream of life and by providing all kinds of support.

The State government and the RDT assisted them by providing houses to some of them and
funds for starting small businesses. A medical camp was conducted at the SRIT College and
applications for governmental support and schemes were taken
Background:
 Jogini is a centuries-old practice where girls as young as 12 years old — mostly from
the marginalised Dalit-Bahujan communities — are married off to the local village deity
as part of a religious belief. The families, most of them extremely poor, believe the ritual
will please the gods, who will then improve their lives.
 In the early days, the primary duty of a jogini — also known as ‘devadasi’ and
considered property of the temple — would be to indulge in cultural activities related to
the shrine. In the following centuries, it morphed into something completely different,
and the joginis were obligated to cater to the sexual needs of temple patrons, village
heads etc. The ensuing form saw the women forced to cater to every man in their village.
 The practice was banned in 1988 by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government, which
said this about the practice: “However pure in its origin, (the practice) leads many of the
women so dedicated to degradation and to evils like prostitution.”

 This tradition dates back to the sixth century where young girls were married to the deity,
after which they would act as the temple caretakers and perform all rituals, including
dance and music in the honor of the deity.
 Originally, the girls learned and practised the arts like Bharathanatyam, Odissi or other
classical dance forms, apart from taking care of the temple and engaging in rituals.
  They traditionally enjoyed a high status in society as music and dance were integral parts
of worship in temples. They were considered auspicious as they were committed to the
deity.
 Later, after the involvement of Mughals and Britishers in the country, many temples were
broken and their status in the society deteriorated and they were being exploited and
degraded. The children of the Devadasis were also made to learn music or were dedicated
to the temples.
 It is one such practice which is illegally being done in a few parts of India till date.

Challenges:
 Society’s acceptance: Devadasi dedication and the resulting sexual abuse of these girl
children are accepted and celebrated by society. Those willing to report also fear the
backlash of the society and community and refrain from reporting.
 Ineffective awareness programmes: Awareness generation about the provisions of the
legislation, in communities where the prevalence of dedication is high, is absent. Even
those awareness programmes conducted fail to bring any behavioral change within the
community.
 Lack of Police Action: The police are failing to take Suo Motu action in cases of
dedication and are not registering cases coming to them due to pressure from the
community.
 Non-cooperative victims: Unwillingness of the victims to report against their parents or
relatives becomes a big challenge. Even if the case is registered, there is a high
probability of the victim turning hostile.
 Inadequate preventive measures: The functionaries and the law enforcement agencies are
not taking any measures to prevent dedication from taking place and focus only on
schemes to be given to the older Devadasis.
 Lack of coordination: There is a lack of coordination between the various departments,
agencies, and functionaries which is leading to ineffective efforts to stop the practice of
Devadasi dedication.
 Poor implementation of legislation: There are several provisions under different laws
(POCSO, ITPA, JJ Act, IPC) that would be relevant in the case of the dedication of a girl.
However, there is a lack of application of all these legislations.
 Health Risks: The devadasis who are forced into prostitution become vulnerable to
sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS.
Way forward:

 The Department of Women and Child Development must conduct regular surveys to
check the prevalence of this tradition provide rehabilitation to the young girls affected.
They must also promote employment opportunities for the Devadasi women for a better
future of their children
 Devadasis cases must be brought under the purview of IPC and the authorities must try
spreading awareness of the existence of this practice
 Steps must be taken to educate the children of the affected women
 Reforms must be brought in to completely put an end to the malpractice