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Focus on Welfare is the main agenda in Bangaru Telangana
Highlights
Promoting People’s Welfare is the central agenda of the Government. Accordingly, a number of initiatives have been taken by the Government after the formation of Telengana State. In this regard, a sector-wise broad over view is presented in this section.
Promoting People’s Welfare is the central agenda of the Government. Accordingly, a number of initiatives have been taken by the Government after the formation of Telengana State. In this regard, a sector-wise broad over view is presented in this section.
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Aasara Pensions
Government, as a part of its welfare measures and social safety net strategy introduced the “Aasara” pen¬sions, with a view to ensure secured life with dignity for all the poor.
‘Aasara’ pension scheme is meant to protect the most vulnerable sections of society in particular the old and infirm, people with HIV-AIDS, widows, incapacitated weavers and toddy tappers, who have lost their means of livelihood with growing age, in order to support their day to day minimum needs required to lead a life of dignity and social security.
In the Old Pension Scheme, the pension amount under Social Security Pensions provided was meagere and barely sufficient to cover the basic minimum requirements of the needy. Pension amount @ Rs.200/- p.m. to old age persons, widows, toddy tappers, weavers, HIV AIDs patients and Rs.500/- p.m. to the disabled persons were being paid in the Old Pension Scheme.
With a view to combat the ever-increasing cost of living and inflation, the Telangana Government introduced a new Pension scheme called “Aasara” enhancing the monthly Pension from Rs.200/- to Rs.1000/- for old age persons, widows, weavers, toddy tappers and AIDS patients and Rs.500/- to Rs.1500/- for disabled persons.
In the past, Rs.835.63 Crores per year was spent by the previous Government. Now the Telangana Govern¬ment is spending approximately Rs.4000.00 Crores per year for payment of pensions under the new Aasara Pensions Scheme. This is 478% increase over the past.
Government of India under National Social Assistance Programme(NSAP) is providing Rs.264.84 Crores per annum towards pensions. The Government of India scale of pension is Rs.200/- pm below
(80) years and Rs.500/- pm for 80 and above years of age. For widows and disabled persons it is Rs.300/- pm with the Government of India funds 8.15 lakhs pensioners are covered under National Social Assistance Program me(NSAP) with top up from the State Government.
The Telangana Government took a decision to extend the financial assistance to beedi workers (women only) from March 2015. Under this, assistance of Rs 1000 will be paid to beedi workers, based on the data collected during the ‘Samagra Kutumba Survey’.
Revamping Public Distribution System
Government of Telangana decided to issue Food Security Cards to all priority groups and all eligible BPL households with an objective to provide subsidized food grains and other essential commodities to the eli¬gible households.
So far 1.01 crore applications were received and 99.01 lakh applications were enquired into. The process of verification and enquiry of applications for the remaining is going on for identification of beneficiaries. So far, 87.57 lakh beneficiaries are found eligible for Food Security Cards and 0.49 lakh beneficiaries are eligible for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) Cards. Once the verification is completed, Food Security Cards will be issued.
To arrive at the eligibility of the BPL families (priority households) the family income limit in rural areas has been increased to Rs.1.50 lakhs and in urban areas to Rs.2 lakhs. The land ceiling has also been increased to 3.5 acres of wet land and 7.5 acres of dry land.
All 87.57 lakh eligible families for Food Security Cards (covering 2.80 crore beneficiaries) are being supplied rice from 1st January 2015 @ 6 kg. per person without any ceiling on the number of members in the family and AAY families @ 35 kg per card.
Supply of rice to the priority households at 6 kg. per person,Rice is being supplied to all the eligible families found in the enquiry at 6 kg. per person at Re.1 per kg with¬out any restriction on number of members in the family, from 1st January, 2015.
Earlier, a family was entitled for rice @ 4 kg. per person subject to a maximum of 20 kgs. Now every person gets 6 kg. and at this rate all the number of members in the family get rice. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families will get 35 kg. per family per month @ Re.1 per kg.
This would show a good amount of saving to a family.
If a card was possessing by one member, earlier he was getting 4 kg. at Re 1 per kg and he was purchasing 6 kgs. at Rs.25 per kg i.e he was spending Rs.154 on 10 kg rice. Now, he spends Rs.6 on 6 kg rice through PDS and spends Rs.100 on remaining 4 kg, which means he spends Rs.106 for 10 kgs. In other words he saves Rs.48 per month.
Another example is that if in a family there are 7 members, earlier the family was spending Rs.20 per kg. for 20 kgs and Rs.1250 for 50 kgs., totaling Rs.1270 for 70 kgs. Now, the amount to be spent will be Rs. 42 for 42 kgs. (i.e. 6 kg. X 7 members) and balance 28 kgs. at Rs.25 i.e. Rs. 700, totaling Rs.742, which means the family of 7 members saves Rs. 708 per month.
The scheme of supply at 6 kg, provides substantial quantity of rice to the families having more than 5 mem¬bers particularly.
Though Food Security Cards have not been issued, Government has been supplying rice based on the eligi¬bility without causing any hardship to them.
Under the scheme, it is expected that about 1.80 lakh MT of rice per month would be required for supply to about 2.80 crore units. The expected allotment from Government is 1.12 lakh MT per month. This necessitates purchase of balance 0.68 lakh MT p.m. from the rice millers under State Pool. It is targeted to purchase 7.5 lakh MT of rice from the Rice Millers under State pool by paying Re.1 per quintal (1 paise per kg.).
A quantity of 3.22 lakh MT of rice has been purchased under State Pool procurement. Supply of superfine rice (Sanna Biyyam) to the students in hostels and mid day meals programme in schools.
Government of Telangana considered that the students in the hostels and those benefited under Mid Day Meals programme should be provided with nutritious and good quality food and took a conscious and a very pragmatic decision to supply superfine preferred varieties, which are called “Sanna Biyyam”, to them.
The requirements of rice for Hostels is 6663 MT ; and for Mid Day Meals Programme it is 5837 MT, totaling 12,500 MT per month. Government of Telangana, in order to make available good quality rice to the boarders , has been procuring old rice at Rs.36 per kg. for supply till 23rd April, 2015( till hostels and schools close for vacation) and rice of this crop (2014-15) at Rs.32.50 per kg. and supplying this rice for this prestigious scheme.
A quantity of 1.25 lakh MT of rice has been procured to meet the requirements of the Welfare hostels and for Mid day Meals in the Schools. At the same time It is also, ensured that there is no diversion of these superfine (sanna biyyam) rice into the black market or for recycling, criminal action is proposed to be taken against those who indulge in such illegal activities.
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