Naidu turns a Yolk Hero - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu has time on his hands. His main vocation is politics, but the slow life of being an opposition leader leaves him with breathing space. It was no surprise then to see him turn up at the NTR Memorial Trust late last month to sell eggs. Philanthropy is the newer string in Naidu's bow after seven years out of power.

His charitable trust, named after his father-in-law N T Rama Rao, keeps him engaged in activities other than plotting the downfall of the Congress. In its latest initiative, the trust has launched an employment generation programme in association with the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC). As part of the programme Velugu Baata, now in its pilot stage, unemployed youth are given kiosks from which to sell eggs and egg-based food products.

Naidu gave egg kiosks to 25 unemployed young men. The youth vote has traditionally been the TDP's but it was drawn away by Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's welfare sops in recent years. It now threatens to rest with YSR-scion Jagan Mohan Reddy. Youth-friendly philanthropy is Naidu's latest effort to build a reservoir of goodwill in young voters.

Initial reports from the egg initiative suggest that it helps. Sudheer, 21, was one of the lucky 25 who got a kiosk from Naidu. He parked his on a leafy street of Banjara Hills, right next to the TDP party office, and in three weeks, has gone to Rs 2,000 worth of business per day.

'I spend about Rs 1, 300 on groceries and other material, so my profit is around Rs 700 per day,' said Sudheer. 'I have to pay Rs 1, 500 per month to Andhra Bank for a loan. My debts will be cleared in a year, and then I should be really free.' He adds, 'This egg thing is great. They should have one on every street. It will solve our unemployment problem.'

The philanthropy is by the NTR Memorial Trust, and Naidu is its brand ambassador. It's a trust set up in honour of the founder of the TDP, and right now it serves Naidu well to cement his association with all institutions invoking the name of N T Rama Rao. Stirrings within the late thespian's family suggest that there's disquiet that the son-in-law is the custodian of the actor's legacy rather than any of the many sons.

Nandamuri Harikrishna has been known to nurse a grievance that he does not get the billing in the party that ought to be due to the first born of NT Rama Rao. Wary of the odium of having dethroned his father-in-law, Naidu has always been careful with family and legacy dynamics, always keeping the party in his grip, especially the younger supporters.

Naidu's trust takes up several activities other than dispensing eggs. It trains young entrepreneurs and helps them set up businesses. Typically, these are small enterprises. Trust official G Balakrishna Murthy says Gitam University professors have been drafted to counsel and educate entrepreneurs.

Trust experts prepare project reports and prepare loan documentation. 'The Trust has stood guarantee for loans worth more than Rs 3 crore from banks across the state and also provides its own subsidies. We monitor their activity to ensure everything is going on right,' he says.

Udaya Rani is one such beneficiary. She makes paper plates. She says, 'I used to own a little shop until I registered with the Trust. They made loans easy to get and I borrowed Rs 10 lakh. I've now grown to be the proprietor of Madhava Industries. My turnover is about Rs 1.5 lakh a month and I employ nine people now.''

Apart from entrepreneurial development, Naidu's trust also focuses on activities in health, education, water conservation and disaster management. Its NTR Model School provides free education and boarding to 700 children. Naidu's influence has worked on his party colleagues too. Other TDP leaders involved in education have pledged to reserve at least 30 seats in their institutions for poor children.

The trust operates a blood bank, ranked among the top five in the nation and maintains a database of 1,28,000 potential blood donors and their families, which is very useful in emergencies. 'We have provided free blood to more than 93,000 patients, including 8,000 thalassemic patients,'' says Murthy.While Naidu keeps one eye on his vote-bank, he is also inspired by his icons Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

'I believe that Indian politics must have a philanthropic dimension. For too long have we limited ourselves to policy-making. As politicians we must step forward and take up personal philanthropy,' says Naidu, who has told his son Lokesh, who manages a TV channel and his wife Bhuvaneshwari, who manages the food company Heritage, that they must keep at least 10 per cent of their budgets aside for philanthropic purposes.