Andhra polls: HC dismisses EC order, allows transfer of Rs 14,165.66 Cr into beneficiaries' accounts
From May 11 to 13, the State administration has been asked to refrain from distributing the money or transferring it to the benefit-diaries' bank accounts
By Sistla Dakshina Murthy Published on 10 May 2024 4:57 AM GMT
Amaravati: Ahead of polls, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the Election Commission of India (ECI) order and allowed the state government to transfer Rs 14,165.66 crore to beneficiaries of different welfare schemes through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
With this, the funds for six welfare schemes including Aasara (Rs 6,394 crore) YSR Kalyanamastu/Shaadi Tohfa (Rs 78.53 crore), Jagananna Vidya Deevena (Rs 708.68 crore), farmer input subsidy (Rs 1,294.59 crore), Cheyuta (Rs 5,060.49 crore) and EBC Nestham (Rs 629.37 crore) would be released by the state government on Friday and the amount would be credited into the beneficiaries accounts on the same day.
From May 11 to 13, the State administration has been asked to refrain from distributing the money or transferring it to the benefit-diaries' bank accounts. Furthermore, the state government was also instructed not to use any medium, including social media, to publicize the aid's distribution.
To ensure that all other pertinent directives from the ECI in the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) are followed, the court made it clear that there cannot be any fanfare, ceremonies, or involvement of any political functionary by the state government regarding the disbursement of financial assistance to the beneficiaries of various schemes.
A total of Rs 14,165.66 crore was scheduled to be released under six different programs by March 14th, according to a communication between the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and the Election Commission. Initially, the state government was instructed by the ECI to postpone aid disbursement until June 6 to allow for the conclusion of the election process.
Beneficiaries of the schemes from various regions of the state challenged the same by submitting independent petitions to the High Court. Justice B Krishnamohan heard the matter and instructed the poll panel to provide its ruling on the state government's new proposal along with an explanation of the rationale behind the aid disbursement.
Asserting that these programs are ongoing and not only being introduced to curry favor with voters, petitioners' attorney CV Mohan Reddy claimed that the government must support farmers, women, and students. After hearing the arguments from the ECI and the state government, the High Court asked the state government to release the funds today, dismissing the ECI order.
