Addanki: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said that Andhra Pradesh ranks first in the country in implementing welfare pensions, with the coalition government spending over Rs 34,000 crore on NTR Bharosa pensions for the poor.

He distributed pensions at Yeleswarapalam in Mailavaram Gram Panchayat on Monday. He criticised the previous YSRCP government for not approving even a single spouse pension, while the coalition government has sanctioned approximately 1.08 lakh spouse pensions since coming to power. He stated that around 65 lakh people across Andhra Pradesh are receiving NTR Bharosa pensions, an unmatched number anywhere in the country. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stands as a strong advocate for the implementation of welfare schemes, he added. On the occasion, the minister handed over a tractor to a farmer under the subsidy scheme. He explained that agricultural equipment is being provided at a 90 per cent subsidy, while SC and ST farmers receive certain implements at a 100 per cent subsidy.