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

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has accused the TDP-led government of reneging on welfare promises ahead of local body elections. YSRCP general secretary Gadikota Srikanth Reddy alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had failed women, farmers and youth by failing to keep the election commitments. He pointed out that many eligible beneficiaries belonging to weaker sections had not received new pensions since the coalition government took office.

Srikanth Reddy demanded retrospective payment of pension arrears from the date of eligibility rather than from the date of sanction. He also alleged that persons with disabilities were required to visit government offices repeatedly to process their pension applications. Contrasting the current system with the one during the YSRCP government, Srikanth Reddy stated that pensions were previously delivered at beneficiaries' doorsteps, with volunteers assisting them in the formalities.

The government, he claimed, had dismantled this system and reduced the number of beneficiaries for various reasons. The number of pension beneficiaries, which stood at around 69 lakh during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, had dropped by nearly six lakh now. Srikanth Reddy questioned the government's claim of new land allotments, stating that a YSRCP order provided for title deeds to rightful occupants of disputed assigned lands who had lived there for 10 years.

He accused the coalition government of highlighting the measure to secure votes in the local body elections.