GUNTUR: The students were told to adopt freedom fighter Alluri Seetarama Raju as their role model to fight against corruption. Minster for social and tribal welfare N. Ananda Babu, Vinukonda MLA G.V. Anjaneyulu and others paid floral tributes to Alluri on his 121st birth anniversary and joined memorial programmes in the hostels.

Mr Ananda Babu stated that serving the mankind is the top service in the world and Alluri fought against suppression of tribals by the then British government and sparked the freedom spirit among the public, including tribals. Addressing a memorial meeting in the SC Corporation meeting hall at Guntur on Tuesday, district collector K. Sasidhar said that 67 per cent people were literate in Guntur district but tribal literacy rate is only 47 per cent.

He said that the government is offering good education free of cost to tribals and asked them to make good use of the opportunity. Recalling the fight by Alluri against the then British government, he asked the students to adopt the great revolutionary and patriot as their role model to serve society. Mr Sasidhar said that the government is offering `10 lakh to each student for studies abroad under NTR Vidyonnati scheme, but only two tribal students applied for it from the district last year. He said that they are trying to offer the scheme to at least 50 tribal students this year.

He further said that micro plans would be drafted for the development of tribals under which skill development training would be offered to provide `10,000 per month income to every tribal family in the district. The collector annou-nced about conducting special grievance programme on the first Monday of every month for tribals to resolve their issues. Joint collector (II) M. Venkateswara Rao, joint director of social welfare Mallikarjuna Rao and other officials participated in the programme.