YSRCP-led Andhra govt completes one-year rule; says fulfilled 90% poll promises

The YSRCP-led Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday said it has fulfilled 90 per cent of its poll promises within one year of its rule and spent about Rs 40,139 crore for various welfare schemes, benefitting 3.57 crore people and creating over 30,000 jobs in the state.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy completed one year in office this month. He had assumed office on May 30 last year.

"Despite inheriting empty coffers from the previous TDP regime and COVID-19 crippling the state's economy, Jagan Mohan Reddy went ahead with implementing a slew of welfare and development programmes as stated in the party manifesto," an official statement said.

Andhra Pradesh, which has 3,245 COVID-19 cases at present, became a role model in combating the virus, it said.

"Whether it is the number of tests, recoveries, low mortality rate, quarantine facilities, providing transportation and shelter to migrant labourers, showing compassion towards coronavirus victims, Andhra Pradesh has shown the path to other states," it added.

The state government said health, education, farmers, irrigation, welfare and infrastructure remained the focus areas in the last one year.

In this one year, over 30,000 new jobs were created by units that have come up in different parts of the state, it said.

"… the chief minister has fulfilled 90 per cent of the promises made within one year of ruling," it added.

According to the government, as many as 15 welfare schemes were implemented during the last one year, benefiting 3.57 crore individuals by spending Rs 40,139 crore.

From old age people to autorickshaw drivers, handloom weavers to fishermen, women of self-help groups to poor parents, students to junior advocates, every sector was covered, the statement said.

Maintaining cordial relations with the Centre and improving relationship with neighbouring states was also top on the agenda of the chief minister, who is also striving for zero tolerance as far as corruption is concerned, it said.

"Maintaining law and order and ensuring communal harmony never took a backseat," the government said, adding the prestigious Polavaram irrigation project is going on at a brisk speed and it is on top of the agenda of the state government.

In 2019’s state election manifesto, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) had promised to implement nine Navratna Welfare Schemes -- YSR Rythu Bharosa, fee reimbursement, Arogya Sree, Jalayagnam, total ban on sale of liquor, Amma Vodi, YSR Asara, houses to homeless and increase in pensions.

In a separate statement, opposition leader and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu accused the chief minister’s one year rule of having “crippled legislature, executive, judiciary and also the media-the four pillars of democracy”.

"Every programme of Jagan Reddy is designed for corruption," he said. The TDP leader also accused the ruling party of committing "massive fraud" in the name of liquor prohibition by supplying poor quality brands and putting poor people's health at risk.

"Abnormal rates were being collected causing further financial loss to poor workers. ‘JST collections’ or Jagan Reddy Service Tax are rampant everywhere and the chief minister is literally behaving like a leech, squeezing blood out of poor people," Naidu alleged in his valedictory address at a two-day digital political conclave here.

Naidu slammed the YSRCP government for imposing an additional burden of Rs 50,000 crore on the people in the form of increased taxes and rates of liquor, sand, power, cement, APSRTC and mines.

"Essential commodities rates have also skyrocketed, making poor people's lives difficult during the lockdowns,” he alleged.

He added that the state government should change its "biased attitude" and start rebuilding the new capital at Amaravati itself, without endangering the future of the state further.

Meanwhile, the state government said about Rs 25,000 crore financial assistance has been extended to over 80 lakh farmers under the YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme during the last one year for buying crop inputs.

Under the YSR Pension Kanuka scheme, the state has disbursed Rs 2,500 monthly pension amounting to Rs 14,438 crore to 58,61,120 beneficiaries like the aged, widows, tappers, weavers, single women, fishermen, HIV-affected and traditional cobblers.

The pensions were distributed by village volunteers at the doorstep in the first week of every month, saving the beneficiaries from travelling to the nearby banks and waiting in long queues.

Under the YSR Zero Vaddi scheme, interest free loans to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore has been disbursed to 90.37 lakh Self Help Group women in both rural and urban areas, while under the Amma Vodi scheme, Rs 15,000 per annum amounting to Rs 6,349 crore was distributed to 42.33 lakh mothers having school-going children in last one year, the statement said.

Similarly, under the YSR Arogya Sree, the state has spent Rs 1,534 crore for treatment of poor, benefitting 6.24 lakh beneficiaries.

“As promised in the manifesto, the YSRCP government has taken over all the liquor shops, and reduced the numbers by over 20 per cent. Liquor rates have been hiked almost 100 per cent and the government plans to ban it in the next three years.

“For monitoring and effective implementation of these schemes, the state government has appointed about 2,70,000 village volunteers and over 1,30,00 staff on permanent basis for village and ward secretariats,” it added.