VIZIANAGARAM; Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said Andhra Pradesh is the only State in the country that provides highest social security pensions of nearly Rs 33,000 crore per year to as many as 63 lakh people.
He said the government is celebrating the pension festival on the first day of every month in the State. “We have allowed beneficiaries to collect the pension for three months at a time, who missed out to get the social security benefit in previous months,” he said.
On Saturday, Naidu participated in the distribution of the social security pensions under the NTR Bharosa scheme in Ravivalasa village under Cheepurupalli mandal of Vizianagaram district, and handed over the old age pension to tribal elderly woman Rongali Ellamma at her doorstep.
On the occasion, he interacted with Ellamma’s family and asked her for feedback on ‘Super Six’ being implemented by the NDA government.
Later, he interacted with the villagers in the public meeting Praja Vedika organised on the outskirts of Ravivalasa.
District In-charge Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, District Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, MP Kalisetti Appala Naidu, Cheepurupalli MLA Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao, SERP CEO Vakati Aruna, District Collector S Ramsundar Reddy, and other officials present.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the State government is committed to welfare and development, and giving equal importance to both to achieve prosperity. He highlighted the transformation of the pension system and the progress of ‘Super Six'.
Naidu said “I have been participating in the pension distribution on the 1st of every month for the past 20 months. We have been spending Rs 2,726 crore monthly and Rs 33,000 crore annually and distributing pensions to 62,76,322 beneficiaries across the State under the NTR Bharosa scheme,’’ he said.
He said the coalition government gave top priority to women’s welfare through Super Six. Over 47 crore free bus trips have been taken by women under the Stree Shakti scheme in the State so far.
Naidu further stated that the government has released Rs 6,310 crore in two instalments under the Annadata Sukhibhava scheme.
He informed that the government has filled 15,941 teacher posts through the Mega DSC. Google is establishing a Data Center in Visakhapatnam, joining giants like TCS and Cognizant. The upcoming Bhogapuram Airport is expected to boost employment in North Andhra region. “We have launched the P4 model (Public-Private-People-Partnership) to support the economically backward people and ensure their uplift,” he highlighted.