Vijayawada: In a setback to the AP government, the Election Commission refused to allow it to enhance the monthly dole that is being given to unemployed youth under the Mukhyamantri Yuvanestham scheme.
The dole was a major promise of the Telugu Desam in 2014 and came into effect only from October last year. The dole is Rs 1,000 per month, which the government wanted to enhance to Rs 2,000 to which the poll panel objected as the election code is in place.
Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in several election meetings had assured of increasing the stipend to Rs 3,000.
Since the model code of conduct is in place, the state government had sent various proposals to the ECI to be cleared. Among them, five other proposals were cleared.
“The commission has directed to defer the proposal of enhancement of Mukhyamantri Yuva-nestham Scheme till completion of poll in the state of Andhra Pradesh,” said a statement from ECI undersecretary K.P. Singh to Chief Electoral Officer Gopalkrishna Dwivedi
Interestingly, TV advertisements of the TD have been claiming Rs 2,000 dole is being paid under the Mukhya-mantri Yuvanestham scheme.
The state government put forth the proposal to increase the stipend n March 21. Finance minister Yanamala Rama-krishnudu had announ-ced during the vote-on-account budget presentation on February 5 that the government had decided to increase the unemployment allowance from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. Around Rs 1,200 crore has been allocated for the scheme against Rs 1,000 crore last year.
In addition to providing allowance, this scheme ensures that the unemployed are linked with necessary entrepreneurship and skill development programmes and placement through a convergence approach across departments youth welfare, industries, labour, skill development so that the youth find gainful employment on a sustainable basis.
The EC accorded permission to the government to take up the third list of selected civil assistant surgeons, appointment of two state information commissioners to the AP Information Commis-sion (APIC), augmentation of drinking water schemes under the Rural Water Supply department and posting of one M.V. Suresh Babu as deputy commissioner of the endowments department. The EC also agreed for the constitution of the board of trustees of the Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Palakol in West Godavari district.
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