APVVU is a federation of 428 mandal level trade unions of rural informal workers particularly from agriculture, fishing, forest; rural artisans, sharecroppers, marginal farmers, construction workers & shepherds. The unions are spread over in 14 districts of Andhra & Telangana states. It has membership of 592,850 & 56% is drawn from the women agricultural workers. Majority of rural workers are being come from the background of Dalits and Adivasis, the union has developed unique way to work from caste, class, gender and ecological justice perspectives.

International women’s day program is organized in Piller. All the women from neighboring mandals gathered in Darga center and took up two kms rally in the national high way to cover entire Piller main bazaar. The rally was highlighted with the raising voice of women shouting slogans of various issues:

People of four merged mandals at their wits’end

People of the four Girijan mandals of Khammam district which were merged into East Godavari district after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh are facing many problems as they found themselves to be in another State.

Kunavaram, V.R. Puram, Chintoor and Nellipaka mandals were brought under East Godavari and Kukunur, Burugumpadu and Velerupadu mandals were merged with West Godavari, to avoid complications while building the Polavaram project. Some facilities are in Khammam district which is nearer to them compared to the places in East Godavari district, which is now their own district.

[Full Report herehttp://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/people-of-four-merged-mandals-at-their-witsend/article8347433.ece ] 

Girijans pour out their woes

Upset over the tardy implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right) Act of 2006, more popularly known as Forest Rights Act, Girijans from the north costal districts and East Godavari gathered near the Gandhi statue here on Friday to urge the government to take steps to implement the Act in its full spirit and do them justice.

The Act provides the Girijans a right over the land they have been cultivating for a long in the shape of pattas. But the benefit is not forthcoming in most areas.

[Full Report: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/girijans-pour-out-their-woes/article8345010.ece]

Aadhaar robs Lakshmi of wealth

Tatta Lakshmi and Pothada Lakshmi are at a loss. The government has transferred the wages owed to T. Lakshmi to P. Lakshmi’s bank account – and Pothada Lakshmi’s money has gone to Tatta Lakshmi’s account at the State Bank of India in Munagapaka mandal of Andhra Pradesh. So T. Lakshmi is still waiting to be paid roughly Rs. 16,000, and P. Lakshmi awaits around Rs. 9,000. Both women are Dalit, both have no land, and both work as MGNREGA workers.

[Full Report: https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/aadhaar-robs-lakshmi-of-wealth/]