Over Rs 2 crore sanctioned to help Agrigold victims: Andhra Pradesh minister

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha said that the state government has released an order sanctioning Rs 2,263 crore to help the Agrigold victims who had deposits below Rs 20,000 each. Sucharitha said, with the government aid 65 per cent of the depositors would be benefited.

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha on Tuesday said that the state government has sanctioned Rs 2,263 crore to help the AgriGold victims who had deposits below Rs 20,000.

A statement from the state government said that it had released an order on October 18 sanctioning Rs 2,263 crore to help the Agrigold victims who had deposits below Rs 20,000 each.

Speaking at the YSR Congress party central office at Tadepalli, Sucharitha said with the government aid 65 per cent of the depositors would be benefited.

The Home Minister said, "AgriGold was established in 1995 with 32 lakh depositors from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Chhatisgarh and Andaman and Nicobar islands and Rs 6,380 crore was collected from the depositors. As the deposits were not returned even after the expiry of the due date, the depositors booked cases against AgriGold in several police stations in the state."

Sucharitha said as the deposits were not returned, victims started agitations all over the state and then the YSR Congress party had also supported the victims. She said, "YS Jaganmohan Reddy had met the Agrigold victims during padayatra of the state and included their demands in the party manifesto. The Chief Minister had in his first Cabinet meeting said the state government would sanction Rs 11,500 crore to the Agrigold victims and the latest GO sanctioning aid to them was a part of it."

The Home Minister said that though the earlier TDP government had promised to go to the aid of small-time depositors, it had not done so. "There is no precedent anywhere in the country that the government has come to the aid of depositors of a scam-ridden private company. It is only Reddy's government that has gone to the rescue of the depositors and everybody can see that people are applauding the move."

Sucharitha said that efforts are being made to seize AgriGold assets and hand them over to the court and soon the remaining victims of AgriGold would also be benefited.

In reply to the question that atrocities against women were increasing in the state, the Home Minister said a case of a girl being raped was reported from Dachepalli on October 19.

The accused has been arrested and the government has agreed to meet the expenses of the girl for her education. The government is immediately taking action in such cases, she added.