Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila on Saturday charged the Telugu Desam Party government with cutting down sharply the number of beneficiaries eligible for its 'Annadata Sukhibhava' scheme, which guarantees farmers a sum of ₹20,000 per year in financial assistance. 'Annadata Sukibhava' is part of the 'Super Six' schemes unveiled by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Speaking to the media, Sharmila asserted, "Super Six is a super flop. Annadata Sukhibhava has become sorrow. Although the state has more than 93 lakh farmers, fifty per cent of them have been shortened in the name of eligibility criteria." She charged that the government of the National Democratic Alliance is going to extend this scheme to just 47 lakh farmers leaving out nearly 43 lakh peasants.
On Friday, Director of Agriculture Dilli Rao stated in an official statement that 98 per cent of farmers who are eligible for 'Annadata Sukhibhava' have done e-KYC (verification) and 47.7 lakh farmers have been found to be eligible beneficiaries.
"This information was checked at the village level using the Annadata Sukhibhava portal and cross-checked at the state level. Hence, 47.77 lakh farmer families are found to be eligible beneficiaries," stated Rao. Approximately 61,000 farmers in the state are yet to undergo their e-KYC, he added, stating that a grievance redressal module would soon be provided for farmers whose records have not been checked yet.
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'Annadata Sukhibhava' comprises ₹6,000 from the Centre under PM-KISAN and another ₹14,000 from the state government, which amounts to ₹20,000 annually. Questioning the logic behind the reported exclusions from 'Super Six' assurances, the AP Congress president wondered why people were not informed in advance about it.
As per the opposition leader, 'Talliki Vandanam' scheme also caused exclusions from 87 lakh students to 67 lakh. She also wanted to know why free bus travel for women hasn't been introduced yet. Targeting the YSRCP, Sharmila said the campaigns being organised by the party are 'not' really for people, and asserted that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy selects causes that 'only benefit him'.
Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party for supposedly damaging the interests of the southern state, Sharmila accused the saffron party of having ignored the bifurcation assurances. There was no reaction from the TDP either on an immediate basis.
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