The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected the State government’s proposal to increase the unemployment allowance from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 as it cannot take any major policy decision at this juncture.
This was confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi.
The government paid an allowance of ₹1,000 to unemployed youth under the ‘Mukhyamantri Yuvanestham‘ scheme in 2018 and subsequently increased it to ₹2,000. In its 2019 election manifesto, the TDP promised to give ₹3,000, but the ECI did not give clearance for it.
The EC has also recommended departmental action against 12 officers and staff for dereliction of duty during the elections on April 11.
Those facing action under the Representation of People Act and Conduct of Elections Rules include five returning officers in Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Krishna and Nellore districts.