Jagan's balancing act of welfare-centric administration amid COVID-19 mitigation

Former CM Chandrababu Naidu accused Reddy of lacking a mission mode approach in controlling the contagion, “resulting in state's spiraling COVID-19 numbers.”

At a time when the Prime Minister and most other Chief Ministers are engrossed in COVID-19 mitigation, in Andhra Pradesh, Jaganmohan Reddy has adopted an approach prioritising his welfare topped administration alongside the pandemic management.

In a televised address to the state’s people at the beginning of this week, when the state's COVID-19 tally neared 1,200 cases, Reddy has appealed that “we have to learn to live with it,” since the SARS-CoV-2 virus could not be eliminated soon.

The next day – Tuesday - Reddy launched his promised scheme ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ which reimburses the full fees of regular-professional courses benefiting about 14 lakh students of economically weaker families from across the state.

Even as the state’s coffers have dried up due to the COVID-19 lockdown revenue loss and government salaries being paid in half, Reddy released about Rs 4,000 Crore along with Rs 1,880 Crore pending dues from previous TDP government time, for one of his ambitious welfare programmes. The amount is directly credited into the beneficiary students’ mothers’ accounts.

On Wednesday, Reddy held a review meeting on Polavaram and other irrigation projects and directed officials to clear the cement, iron availability hurdles and complete the spillway work by June, sticking to the schedule.

On Friday, with the help of its nearly 2.4 lakh village/ ward volunteers, Reddy government has distributed old age, widow, etc., pensions to over 58 lakh beneficiaries, spending Rs 1,421 Crore. As a precaution, volunteers used an app for geotagged photo identification instead of biometrics, CMO officials said.

Political gains a priority for Jagan than public health, opposition alleges

However, Reddy’s fixated approach to some issues, which the opposition says could wait till the pandemic subsides, is raising eyebrows in the state. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has accused Reddy of lacking a focused mission mode approach in controlling the contagion, “resulting in spiraling COVID-19 numbers.”

AP has, on Friday morning, 1463 cases, with 33 deaths

In an open letter to the public, Naidu questioned the government’s recent orders effectively removing the incumbent State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh. The SEC had postponed the local body polls to be held in March because of the COVID-19 situation, infuriating Reddy, confident of a landslide victory.

“The zeal Jagan and his men are showing for polls is absent in virus mitigation and protecting public health. Sacking the SEC for postponing polls due to COVID-19; hurriedly instating a person (a retired judge) from Chennai in his place and the new SEC asking for poll preparedness and YSRCP leaders holding rallies while distributing money and asking for votes –all such activities resulted in the alarming situation in the state,” Naidu said.

In another move, following the AP High Court order last month quashing his move making English medium compulsory in government schools from this academic year, Reddy has launched a massive survey involving the village/ward volunteers who went door to door in the contagion time taking written consent from parents favouring English medium.

The government intends to use the 96 percent approval from I-V student parents to make its case stronger in crossing further legal or other hurdles.