The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday released Rs 590 crore to beneficiaries of various schemes who missed to receive the benefits disbursed between June and November, 2022 for various reasons.
Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy reiterated his government's commitment to ensure that all eligible people receive the welfare benefits of various schemes without fail. He released Rs 590.91 crore to 2,79,065 persons who missed the benefits disbursed during last six months.
Releasing the amount by pressing the button virtually at a high-level meeting at his camp office here, the Chief Minister said the Government has been implementing various welfare schemes irrespective of the caste, creed or political affiliations.
He said the names of all left over beneficiaries are displayed at the village and ward secretariats openly after social audit to ensure that no eligible person is left out from the welfare schemes. This will take the total number of beneficiaries under various welfare schemes to 44, 27,641 and the total amount disbursed under various schemes to Rs 6,684.84 crore.
The Chief Minister said that the present government has been implementing various welfare schemes in an unbiased manner while the earlier TDP regime acted in partiality and disbursed even the scarce welfare benefits to only those who voted for it in the elections.
It was steeped in corruption and discrimination, he alleged. He claimed that now the welfare benefits are reaching all eligible persons in a transparent manner where there is no room for bribery or nepotism.
He said the previous TDP regime had fixed rates for every welfare scheme forcing people to pay percentage to Janmabhoomi committees. He faulted the pro-TDP media for publishing false stories saying that pensions were stopped.
What is wrong in temporarily withholding the disbursal of pensions for the purpose of conducting the periodical social audit, he asked. Elaborating on the pensions, he said the Government has been spending Rs 1,770 crore on pensions as against a meagre Rs 400 crore allotted by the TDP regime which gave only a monthly pension of Rs 1000 to 39 lakh persons.
While the monthly pension has now gone up to Rs 2,750 and the number of pensioners has gone up to 62,70,000, he said. He further said that the Almighty will punish all those who are misleading the people by spreading false propaganda against the Government.