It may be recalled that YS Jaganmohan Reddy has cautioned during the poll campaign that if TDP is elected to power all the welfare schemes, particularly cash transfer schemes will be suspended. However, TDP and Jana Sena in their joint poll manifesto have assured to implement all such schemes by hiking money substantially.
To keep up their promise, already officials are said to be working out and preparing a detailed action plan. First, they are focusing on increasing the pension amount to Rs 4,000 per month. Moreover, Chandrababu Naidu promised to provide a hiked pension from July 1st and the hiked amount will be given from April onwards.
So, the officials are focusing on these calculations. Presently there are 65.30 lakh pension beneficiaries across the state. For their pension cash payments per month Rs. 1939 crore is being released by the government.
If the pension amount is to be hiked and implemented from April onwards, each pensioner needs to be paid Rs 7,000 on July 1st and disabled to be paid Rs 6,000. According to initial estimation, they need Rs 4,400 crore. From next August onwards, the pensions bill will be Rs 2,800 crore.
Officials have already prepared a budget estimation for pensions distribution. There are 8 lakh disabled pensioners in the state, they are now being paid Rs 3,000 per month. TDP and Jana Sena promise to double the amount, at the rate of Rs 6,000.
Meanwhile, they promised in their election manifesto to provide a pension of Rs 15,000 per month to completely disabled persons. ALso promised Rs 10,000 to chronic diseases like kidney and thalassemia. Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Medical departments are collecting data on the number of people eligible for such pensions.
Moreover, they also promised to provide pensions for SC, ST, BC and minorities from 50 years of age onwards. Now officials are on the job of preparing lists of people eligible after lowering the age base.