Home Minister V. Anitha, accompanied by Minister for Tribal Welfare Gummadi Sandhya Rani, on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) visited Sappiputtu, a remote tribal hamlet under Dallapalli panchayat in Paderu mandal of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, to take part in ‘Palle Batalo’, an anti-drug outreach programme of the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE).

EAGLE Director A. Ravi Krishna, District Collector T. Nishanthi, Joint Collector T. Sripooja and Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar were among the officials with them.

The Ministers were accorded a traditional welcome by the tribal community, and took part in the Dhimsa dance with the villagers.

As part of the programme, the Ministers planted saplings and distributed saplings and seeds of alternative crops, including avocado, custard apple and maize, to provide livelihood opportunities to tribal farmers. Later, a ‘Mukhamukhi’ was organised, during which the Ministers spoke to the tribal residents to understand their concerns and assess the progress of the government’s rehabilitation measures.

Speaking to the media, Ms. Anitha said it was the first time the ‘Palle Batalo’ programme had been held in an interior tribal hamlet. During the interaction, the residents told the Ministers that they had given up ganja cultivation and had taken up alternative crops with the support of the government. The Home Minister said the State government was committed to achieving zero ganja cultivation in the tribal belt by providing sustainable livelihood options to farmers. She expressed satisfaction that the government’s measures were yielding results, with more tribal families moving away from illicit cultivation.

Published - July 28, 2026 01:37 pm IST