Union Ministers Visit Medaram For Jathara

On the occasion of the Sammakka-Saralamma Jathara, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram and Union Minister for Coal & Mines Kishan Reddy visited the Medaram shrine and offered prayers to the tribal deities today.

Telangana ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) and Adluri Laxman Kumar accorded a warm welcome to the Union ministers at the main temple entrance. Amid traditional tribal drum beats, the ministers were escorted into the temple, where special rituals were performed. They later offered niluvethu bangaram (gold offering) to the presiding deities.

Addressing the media later, Jual Oram said that the jathara was the largest tribal festival in the country and stood as the Maha Kumbh of the tribal communities.

He said that the Government of India was extending full support for the development of the region. For the jathara itself, he said that in addition to assistance for its smooth conduct, special trains had been arranged for the convenience of the devotees.

Speaking about the Union government initiatives for tribal welfare, Oram said that Rs 1 lakh crore had been allocated under the Dharati Aaba Tribal Village Development Abhiyan, Rs 24,000 crore were being spent under the PM JANMAN scheme, and 23 Ekalavya Model Residential Schools had been sanctioned for Telangana.

He said that a Ministry for Tribal Affairs was created during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and that he had the privilege of serving as its first minister. He added that the Union government had also honoured the legacy and sacrifices of great tribal leaders including Bhagwan Birsa Munda, and had accorded due respect to festivals including the Sammakka-Saralamma Jathara.

Also speaking on the occasion, Kishan Reddy said that the jathara was the biggest festival of tribal communities, drawing lakhs of devotees from various States over nearly a month. He thanked ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Seethakka and Adluri Laxman Kumar, and the other officials involved, for their coordination and arrangements.

He said that the Centre and the State governments were jointly undertaking several development works in the region, with Rs 80 crore allocated for tourism development at the Mulugu, Laknavaram, Medaram, Tadvai and Bogatha waterfalls, Rs 140 crore for the development of the Ramappa temple, and Rs 3.70 crore for the Sammakka-Saralamma Jathara arrangements this year.

Reddy also informed that a Central Tribal University named after Sammakka-Saralamma, with an outlay of Rs 890 crore, was being established, and that works had already begun. The project would be formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister in due course, he said.

The Union ministers appreciated the efforts of the Telangana government in providing basic facilities for the lakhs of devotees visiting the jathara, and thanked the officials involved and the media for their dedicated services.