VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh ranks first in the country in providing welfare to people belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) community, Social Welfare Minister Meruga Nagarjuna announced on Monday.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, the minister explained that as per details submitted by the Union Statistics Department, in financial year 2022-23, all States together received financial aid to 34,68,986 families in the three quarters ending December. Of the total, 33,57,052 families were from Andhra Pradesh.
He further said while Karnataka and Tripura stood second and third in the list, only 20,000 SC families in the States had benefitted from the aid. Stating that the Centre’s statistics were an indication of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s commitment towards the welfare of SCs, Nagarjuna said, “The achievement is a slap on the face of TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and other Opposition parties who spread false propaganda against the YSRC government.”
Inviting Naidu for an open debate on SC welfare, he claimed that if the TDP chief visits the houses of SC families, they would chase him away as he had humiliated them. He pointed out that while the previous TDP government spent Rs 33,625 crore under the SC sub-plan from 2014 to 2019, the YSRC government has spent Rs 49,710 crore since 2019. The minister further said the Jagan government has spent Rs 58,353 crore in the past three-and-half-years for welfare of SCs as against Rs 33,629 crore spent by the Naidu regime in five years.
“The previous TDP government had disbursed Rs 4,415 crore towards pensions for 8.66 lakh SCs in five years, while the YSRC government has disbursed Rs 10,191 crore to 11.51 lakh SC families,” he noted.
While Rs 3,010 crore was extended to SC and STs under self-employment schemes as part of ‘Pedarikam Pai Gelupu’ during the TDP regime, the YSRC government has provided financial aid to the tune of Rs 7,132 crore under YSR Cheyutha and Asara schemes, he said and added, Rs 63,057 crore was given to SCs and STs through bank loans from 2019-20 to 2021-22. He also announced that the State stood top by providing post matric scholarships to 6.15 lakh SC students.