VIJAYAWADA: In a record of sorts, the State government, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has disbursed Rs 602 crore to over four lakh people affected during the recent floods.
The challenging task could be completed with technology driven initiative to identify and disburse the compensation amount within 15 days. The households could not be accessed till September 10 for enumeration.
After the devastating floods struck Vijayawada and surrounding areas on September 1, over four lakh affected households could not be accessed till September 10 and it was not possible to commence any enumeration activities for purposes of compensation.
A tech-based solution was designed with a front-end app and a back-end database operating on a hand-held device that could manage the enumeration process. This handheld device was given to the enumeration teams, who then went into the field and commenced this process. About 1,600 teams fanned out in the affected areas and the entire enumeration was completed in a matter of three working days. As part of the enumeration, no bank account data was collected. Aadhaar data was collected, and was used to arrive at the validated bank account details of each of the beneficiaries.
On the speedy compensation process, RP Sisodia, Special Chief Secretary (Revenue) said, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, we were motivated to provide immediate and sufficient compensation. Our CM led by example during the relief efforts. We are happy about this unprecedented speed in disbursing the compensation amounts. We hope our efforts can serve as a successful template for future disaster management initiatives.”
On September 22, the list of proposed beneficiaries was put up so that they could seek changes or register grievances. On Tuesday evening, Rs 602 crore funds were mobilised and transferred to an online gateway. Sources said the bank account data of 4 lakh households was also integrated with the UPI portal so that the payments could be made instantly. In comparison, the compensation amounts are in far excess of the NDRF norms prescribed.
On Wednesday, the compensation was disbursed within a timeline of just 15 days from the date of the flood receded. This is the fastest timeline for compensation disbursement in recent times, and Andhra Pradesh has been successfully able to achieve this.
In comparison, when the previous government, led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, managed the compensation process for the Michaung Cyclone which struck on December 1, 2023, the compensation of Rs 442 crore was disbursed on May 17, which was over 5.5 months after the calamity.