Social Welfare Remains State’s Top Priority: Minister Dola

Kurnool: Despite the state's financial difficulties, welfare pensions are being delivered to 63 lakh beneficiaries on the 1st of every month with an allocation of Rs 2,722 crore, Minister Dola Veeranjaneya Swamy stated here on Tuesday.

He accused the previous YSRCP government of leaving the state burdened with a debt of Rs 9 lakh crore.

The social welfare minister emphasized that the government aimed to create a poverty-free society and that chief minister Chandrababu Naidu was working towards this goal through initiatives like P4, Margadarshi and Bangaru Kutumbam. At an event, he personally distributed the NTR Bharosa pensions door-to-door in Jarugumalli mandal in Pydipadu, Prakasam district.

He said former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy took five years to increase pensions by just Rs 1,000. “We further raised these to Rs 4,000 as per our election promise.” It was a Telugu Desam government that first increased pensions for disabled persons from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000, and this amount has now been further raised to Rs 6,000, he added.

Dola noted that April is the month of reformists, marking the birth anniversaries of leaders like BR Ambedkar, Jagjivan Ram, and Jyotirao Phule- and also of Chandrababu Naidu, who have played significant roles in social development.