YSRCP accuses A.P. government of reneging on welfare promises

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has accused the TDP-led coalition government of misleading people by making new promises on welfare schemes ahead of the local body elections and taking credit for the initiatives introduced during the Chief Ministerial tenure of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Addressing the media at Tadepallion on Wednesday, YSRCP general secretary Gadikota Srikanth Reddy alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had failed women, farmers and youth by reneging on the commitments made during the elections. He alleged that the government was now reviving the same promises with an eye on the local body polls.

Mr. Srikanth Reddy alleged that new pensions had not been sanctioned to many eligible beneficiaries belonging to the weaker sections after the coalition government assumed office. He demanded that pension arrears be paid retrospectively from the date on which the beneficiaries became eligible rather than from the date of sanction.

He alleged that persons with disabilities were being forced to do the rounds of government offices to get their pension applications processed.

Contrasting the present system with the one followed during the YSRCP government, Mr. Srikanth Reddy said pensions were then delivered at the beneficiaries’ doorsteps and the volunteers helped them with the required formalities. He alleged that the coalition government had dismantled the system and reduced the number of beneficiaries on various grounds.

The government was now asking people to submit fresh applications, claiming that they would be considered on merit, which he described as an exercise aimed at the local body elections. He claimed that the number of pension beneficiaries, which was around 69 lakh during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, had come down by nearly six lakh now.

Mr. Srikanth Reddy questioned the government’s claims regarding assigned lands. He said a government order issued during the previous YSRCP regime provided for the issue of title deeds to the rightful occupants who had remained in possession of disputed assigned lands for 10 years.

He alleged that the government was projecting the conversion of such assigned lands into freehold properties as a new initiative, though it was a consequence of the earlier government order.

He accused the coalition government of highlighting the measure with an eye on securing votes in the local body elections.

Referring to Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar’s statement that five lakh houses had been allotted to Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Srikanth Reddy said the figure was insignificant when compared with the 30 lakh house-site pattas distributed to women during the YSRCP government.