KONDUR: In a landmark gesture, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy distributed 338 acres of land to 108 Yanadi (Scheduled Tribes) women in his family's estates at Kondur village in Penagalur in his native Kadapa district on Wednesday.

In the presence of AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, Dr. Reddy gave away pattas and title deeds to the women for one acre of cultivable land having drip irrigation facility and two acres of land bearing neem, teak and tamarind plantations each under the `Bhoo Yagnam' programme here.

Of the 997 acres of land at Kondur surrendered by him, he handed over 659.39 acres to the Managing Director of A.P. Forest Development Corporation.

The Chief Minister declared at a public meeting that his Government would take over assigned lands held by influential persons and restore them to the poor. However, small extents of assigned lands purchased by other poor persons would be spared.

He said 54 lakh acres of land had been assigned to the poor since independence. Some 15-20 lakh acres of these lands were in the possession of bigwigs.

In Kadapa district alone 60,000 acres of land was in possession of influential persons. This too would be distributed to the poor, he said. His Government had so far distributed five lakh acres of Government and surplus lands among 4.30 lakh families in the State, he added.

"My father Y.S. Raja Reddy purchased 997 acres of land at Kondur from Penagalur Narasimha Reddy, to whom the Britishers issued pattas a century ago," he recalled. The High Court upheld ownership of the land, but his family decided to distribute the land to the poor in order to inspire others. Dr. Reddy also gave away Rs. 32 crores worth of assets among housing, self-help groups and other beneficiaries.

APCC president K. Keshava Rao said people of the district and the State would be indebted to YSR for his gesture as he understood the needs and plight of the poor.