Welfare pension increased from Rs 2250 to Rs 2500; to be paid from Jan 1: Jagan

Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday announced to enhance social welfare pensions to Rs 2500 from January 1.

During the Spandana video conference with District Collectors and SPs, several key issues have been discussed. Chief Minister announced an increase in pensions from Rs 2250 to Rs 2500 from January 1.

COVID

Regarding Covid, the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the administration for effectively controlling the spread of infection. He instructed them to be on high alert given the Omicron threat. He directed the authorities to achieve 100 percent single-dose vaccination across the state by the end of December with a special focus on the backward districts. He said that a door-to-door survey has been conducted 32 times in the state. The recovery rate is at 99.21 percent, while the mortality rate is only 0.7 percent.

The Chief Minister ordered the authorities to review the 104 call centers and ensure a quick response to the callers. He called for converting them into One-Stop Solution for all Covid related queries. He said it is very important to track and trace people traveling from abroad. He directed Collectors to ensure private hospitals with an over 100-bed capacity install PSA plants. He also sought to arrange a sufficient number of D-type cylinders and oxygen concentrators.

Housing

Reviewing the Housing programme, Chief Minister directed the officials to prioritize the initiative and ensure proper clearance of the bills without any dues. He said that construction of all houses should start by January 31, including those who have opted for option-3, and instructed the Collectors, JCs, Municipal Commissioners to conduct periodical inspections.

Chief Minister emphasized controlling the construction costs by setting up brick manufacturing units within the layouts to reduce the transportation charges, and by procuring cement and steel at subsidy prices.

Stressing on providing a loan of Rs 35,000 to beneficiaries at 25 paise interest, he directed the authorities to coordinate with the bankers. Also, he asked the engineering assistants in the secretariats to check the quality of construction of the houses. He asked them to hold meetings at the village secretariat and district level. Chief Minister ordered the officials to sanction house sites to all the eligible people within 90 days of applying.

OTS Scheme

Chief Minister instructed the officials to create awareness among the public along with secretariat staff and volunteers. He said the state government will be waiving off Rs 10,000 crore of housing loans of the poor and the registrations will be done free of cost. He said the beneficiaries would get legal rights on the properties, wherein they can sell or transfer or avail loans from banks.

He directed the authorities to clearly explain the benefits of the scheme. He said the opposition has been trying to hinder the implementation of the OTS scheme, although the previous government did not consider proposals to waive interest of housing loans. He stated that the scheme is getting a good response. Over five lakh people have been benefited through OTS.

Jagananna Smart Townships

Chief Minister said that Jagananna Smart Townships are aimed to offer undisputed plots for middle-class people at affordable rates, with all kinds of facilities. He said houses will be constructed after the allotment of plots and directed the officials to focus on required land acquisition.

Spandana grievances

Chief Minister asked the Collectors to own the programme and re-examine the mechanism set up for the initiative. He said to ensure a quality mechanism in resolving the grievances. He asked them to receive applications in each secretariat from 3 pm to 5 pm every day. This will be in addition to the weekly programme. He directed the officials to be humane towards people who come with their grievances.

SDG Goals

Chief Minister said that the main purpose behind the SDG goals is to provide welfare benefits to eligible people in a satisfactory and transparent manner. He said mapping has been done through the Navratnalu programme and instructed the officials to achieve the targeted goals. He stated that a monitoring mechanism should be set up to achieve the SDG objectives, involving each and every district.

Agri-infra

Discussing the basic infrastructural facilities in agriculture sectors, Jagan said the government has established a vast network of RBKs at the village level, facilitating farmers from seed to crop sale. Also, the government is establishing warehouses and primary processing facilities. The government has set up a CMAPP to monitor crop prices. He directed the authorities to focus on the construction of godowns, as well as processing units at the parliamentary level.

Paddy procurement

The Chief Minister instructed the Collectors and JCs to take appropriate measures in providing MSP to the farmers against the purchase of their crops. He said that the government had removed the role of millers or any middlemen in paddy purchases and has been taking steps to provide remunerative prices. He said that farmers should not be exploited under any circumstances and told the officials to review paddy procurement and inspect the phasing centers on a daily basis.

Village Secretariats, RBKs, Digital Libraries

Chief Minister directed the officials to complete the construction of secretariats, RBKs, and digital libraries by Ugadi. Besides these, he asked them to focus on the renovation of schools under Nadu-Nedu, and the establishment of village clinics.

Welfare schemes

OTS Scheme will be launched on December 21. Distribution of benefits to the newly applied beneficiaries under various schemes will be held on December 28. Also, the distribution of enhanced pension will be launched on January 1. EBC Nestam will be launched on January 9 followed by Rythu Bharosa in the month of January.