‘Plan to grant 3.5 lakh new social security pensions’

The State government is planning to grant 3.5 lakh new social security pensions to the eligible very soon, according to Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu.

Addressing the Telugu Desam Party’s ‘Mini Mahanadu’ at Sitanagaram near here on Sunday, he said that the new pensions would be in addition to the existing 53 lakh monthly pensions and the list of new beneficiaries would be announced very soon.

Pending projects

“The State government has spent ₹70,000 crore on 103 welfare programmes in the last four years and a sum of ₹500 crore has been allocated for sanction of house sites to the poor,” he said, adding that all the eligible would get own houses very soon. “At present, over 16 lakh houses are under construction in the State. The government has implemented loan waiver to the farmers and members of the women self-help groups,” he said. Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that the works of pending irrigation projects were under way and the idea was to complete them as per the schedule. He said that there was no scope for any criticism in the manner in which the development was taking place in the State. “The farmers would get fresh loans from the financial institutions and the government will extend all sorts of support to them,” he said.

Rajamahendravaram MP M. Murali Mohan said that even as the Centre was not responding properly to address the financial needs of the States, development was taking place under the guidance of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He said that development would go to the next level, provided the Centre releases adequate funds. Rajanagaram MLA Pendurthi Venkatesh presided over the meeting, in which Zilla Parishad chairman Jyothula Naveen Kumar and local leaders of the TDP were present.