Talking to reporters later, Sabitha Reddy said she had requested the Chief Minister to increase the daily wages of Home Guards to Rs 300. She said that he had enhanced the daily payment from Rs 100 to Rs 200 when she was the Home Minister. However, she said that the payments needs to be increased for all Home Guards in the State. She also demanded extension of all other benefits including Health Insurance for the Home Guards.

Sabitha said that the Chief Minister has agreed to consider her request. She also denied having discussed any political issues with the Chief Minister.

- INN

In her reply to a question raised by MLA R Surya Prakasa Rao during Question Hour in the State Legislative Assembly on Friday, the Home Minister said that all Central Prisons are equipped with 30-bedded hospitals with one Deputy Civil Surgeon and two Civil Assistant Surgeons available. Pathological laboratories are provided in all Central Prisons. Whereas, in the case of Cherlapally Central Prison, the government has also sanctioned one Radiologist, one Dentist and one Psychiatrist as it is considered as referral prison hospital in entire Andhra Pradesh Prisons.

Open Air Jails, Women Prisons and District Jails function with one Civil Assistant Surgeon and supporting para-medical staff. Full time doctors are also available in the District Jails. All seriously sick prisoners are referred to outside hospitals including referral hospitals and provided treatment at government cost. All the medicines prescribed by the doctors are supplied to prisoners irrespective of the cost. In respect of Sub-Jails, the Medical Officers of concerned Primary Health Centres are attending to the sick prisoners twice a week, the Home Minister said.

Sabitha Indira Reddy also informed that the government has permitted the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services for sanction of amounts of Rs 75,000 for all diseases and Rs 1 lakh for kidney transplantation, bypass surgery, cancer and neuro surgery. In respect of Sub-Jails, the government has issued orders for payment of consolidated amount of Rs 5,000 per mensem to each of the visiting medical officers for visiting a Sub-Jail twice a week, subject to minimum of eight visits a month or as often as needed.

The minister said that the National Human Rights Commissions guidelines were being followed properly which mandates minimum of eight visits of medical officers, apart from the emergency calls; maintenance of medical sheets, referring to Government Hospitals for specialists opinion for further diagnosis or treatment; screening of all prisoners at least once in a month; special care for HIV, TB and cancer patients and sending regular reports for special care in Government Hospitals for convict patients.

The present diet scale in Andhra Pradesh Jails is fixed basing on the recommendations of National Institute of Nutrition, which has suggested that the nutrition value of the food for each labouring category prisoner should not be less than 2,790 calories per day and 2,590 calories per day for non-labouring category prisoners. In addition, every prisoner suffering from ill-health is being provided supplementary diet like milk, mutton, egg and banana on the advice of the doctors, the Home Minister said. INN

The MIM workers started protest when Sabitha Reddy was about to attend an event organised by Rajendranagar Municipal Welfare Association. Raising slogans against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, they alleged that the Congress Government has conspired to harass MIM leaders. The MIM workers also demanded that the government withdraw all the cases booked against Akbaruddin Owaisi.

The local police swung into action and disbursed the agitators.

- INN