Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday directed state officials to prepare a welfare calendar listing the implementation dates of various government schemes, saying benefits should reach eligible residents without interruption.
Naidu issued the instruction on the second day of the eighth collectors’ conference in Andhra Pradesh. He also asked officials to create public awareness about how beneficiaries could use the money received through welfare programmes.
“Compile a welfare calendar with information on various welfare schemes implementation dates. Welfare should be delivered without interruption for the empowerment of the poor,” Naidu said, according to the report.
The chief minister also directed officials to prepare an action plan for adding value to caste-linked vocations. He called for weaver and handicraft centres to be transformed into experience centres, although the report did not specify a timeline or funding arrangement for the proposed changes.
On pensions, Naidu said families should be mapped as units before new pensions are issued. He said larger families should be prioritised for greater benefits and cautioned officials against dividing families for ration and pension purposes.
Naidu said the state had earmarked Rs 1.5 lakh crore for welfare, of which Rs 75,000 crore had been spent on pensions. The report did not provide a scheme-wise breakdown of the allocation or spending figures.
The chief minister also said Andhra Pradesh had taken measures to turn five lakh women into entrepreneurs. Further details about the programmes, implementation schedule and monitoring arrangements were not provided in the report.
