
Naidu govt disburses Rs 400 crore under CMRF in last one year
N Chandrababu Naidu
proved to be generous compared to other chief ministers in giving out aid to needy people from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF). In the last year alone, after becoming the chief minister for the fourth time, Naidu gave out Rs 400 crore, which is nearly half the amount spent under CMRF between 2019 and 2024.
The CMRF is intended to help those who were hit with unexpected health crisis and had to spend huge amounts on treatment in private hospitals. Though a large number of procedures are covered under NTR Vaidya Seva, those who are not eligible for the scheme and in cases where people spend huge amounts on specialised treatments not covered in the scheme, people often find themselves in helpless situations. The CMRF is coming to the rescue of those persons, and Naidu surpassed all four chief ministers in terms of assistance provided.
Between 2014 and 2019, an amount of Rs 1,533 crore was disbursed to 2,23,742 families. This is more than double the amount spent by three chief ministers between 2004 and 2014 in combined Andhra Pradesh. During the ten-year period in united Andhra Pradesh with 23 districts, including Telangana, the total amount disbursed under CMRF was only Rs 758 crore.
Even during the YSRCP regime between 2019 and 2024, the total amount spent under CMRF was only Rs 897 crore for five years, which is only half of what Naidu gave during his previous term. Naidu reached the halfway mark of what was spent in the last five years in just one year by giving aid to 35,000 families. For as many as 3,354 people with medical emergencies, a letter of credit (LoC) was issued to ensure timely treatment.
Based on the family's financial condition and the seriousness of the illness, amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 30 lakh were disbursed.

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