46.86 lakh farmers receive financial assistance under Annadata Sukhibhava-PM KISAN in Andhra Pradesh
Three instalments
Launching the scheme, which was yet another election-eve promise, at East Veerayapalem village of Darsi mandal in Prakasam district, Mr. Naidu said every eligible farmer would get ₹20,000 per annum in three instalments — ₹7,000 in two tranches and ₹6,000. The first tranche was released on Saturday. Out of the ₹7,000, while the Central government would give ₹2,000, the State government's share was ₹5,000.
Of the ₹3,175 crore released, the State's share was ₹2,343 crore, while the Centre gave ₹832 crore.
Addressing the farmers in an agricultural field at Veerayapalem, the Chief Minister said, 'This is a historic moment. In Darsi constituency alone, 42,870 farmers will be given ₹29.06 crore.'
Helpline
Mr. Naidu advised the farmers to use the Sukhibhava portal, or call toll-free number '155251' for help in case of any payment issues.
Highlighting the various initiatives taken to strengthen agriculture, including implementation of the 'Polam Pilustondi' programme in over 15,232 villages, the Chief Minister said, 'Before elections, I promised to usher in welfare and development in the State. I am working hard to improve the standard of life of the people. We have tied up with Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the BJP for the benefit of the State.'
Super Six
'The NDA government is committed to implementing the Super Six schemes despite financial crisis. It has increased pensions [NTR Bharosa] from ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 per month in one go. Today, ₹32,134 crore is being disbursed in a year to 64 lakh social security pension beneficiaries in the State, the highest in the country, which is followed by Telangana, where the figure stands at ₹8,000 crore,' the Chief Minister observed.
This apart, the NDA government was giving financial assistance to mothers of every school-going child under Thalliki Vandanam and three LPG cylinders free of cost annually to each household under Deepam-II scheme, he said.
'Stree Shakti'
'The government will roll out 'Stree Shakti' scheme on August 15, under which women across the State will be able to travel in State-run RTC buses free of cost,' Mr. Naidu said, adding that 2.65 lakh women would benefit from it daily.
'For DWCRA women self-help groups, the government is providing schemes such as Lakhpati Didi and drone pilot training,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
41 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: Amid demand for discussion on SIR, Centre likely to push key Bills in Parliament
The government is likely to push on Monday the passage of a key sports Bill in the Lok Sabha, amid a continuing deadlock in Parliament as the Opposition's united demand for a discussion on SIR failed to draw a positive response from the ruling alliance. The Lower House has listed the National Sports Governance Bill, which envisages greater transparency in the functioning of sports bodies, for consideration and passage. The Rajya Sabha has listed for passage on Monday a resolution from Home Minister Amit Shah on the extension of the President's rule in Manipur by another six months with effect from August 13. Except for a two-day discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in both the Houses, parliamentary proceedings have been all but a washout since the Monsoon session began on July 21 as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has ignited vociferous protests from opposition parties. The INDIA bloc, which has in previous sessions often spoken in different voices, has joined ranks over the issue, alleging the Election Commission's exercise is aimed at removing voters sympathetic to its agenda and boosting the prospects of the BJP-led NDA. The EC has said it will roll out the exercise nationally to 'protect' the integrity of electoral rolls to ensure that only eligible voters are allowed to cast votes. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who recently claimed that his party has figured out the modus operandi of the 'vote theft' by studying a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, will participate in a protest in Bengaluru on Monday and submit a representation to EC officials. Amid the raging row over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, on July 23, alleged that elections are being 'stolen' in India and claimed that his party has figured out the modus operandi of the 'votes theft' by studying a LS constituency in Karnataka. 'Rahul Gandhi has raised voice against irregularities in elections. He had said that such things had taken place in Karnataka too, so he is coming here to give representation to the Election Commission officials. He is coming on August 4,' state Home Minister G Parameshwara said. 'State president (D K Shivakumar) and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) are finalising the plan. As per the tentative plan, he (Rahul Gandhi) is likely to address party workers at Freedom Park, following which he is likely to meet election officials and submit a memorandum,' he added. BRS MLC and Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha last week said that she will begin a 72-hour fast from Monday to pressurise both the Congress government in the state and the NDA government at the Centre to approve the Bills providing 42% quota for Backward Classes. Kavitha said the fast will highlight the need for the passage of the BC bill. Kavitha, who has of late been organising political activities under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organisation headed by her, said she had held a 72-hour fast during undivided Andhra Pradesh demanding the installation of a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar in the premises of the state legislature. The Justice H N Nagmohan Das Commission report, aimed at providing internal reservation among SCs in Karnataka, is likely to be submitted on Monday. Ahead of the report being submitted, state Home Minister G Parameshwara called a meeting of SC legislators on August 2 'to gather the opinions of people in the party from various SC sub-castes, and to ensure that there is no confusion'. 'Ahead of Nagmohan Das Commission submitting the report, we wanted to have a discussion on it, so as to ensure that no one is upset or there is no confusion, and to understand each other's opinion. So I have called a meeting,' Paramehwara said in response to a question. The government, in November last year, had appointed retired judge of the Karnataka High Court Nagmohan Das to head a commission to recommend internal reservation among SCs, after the Supreme Court last year allowed the states to provide internal reservation, and the State Cabinet agreed to implement internal reservation. BJP MPs from West Bengal will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday in Delhi to strategize on countering allegations raised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state Assembly. 'Tomorrow, we will have a meeting with the Home Minister. While it is strictly a party meeting, we will also address the RG Kar issue. The parents of the victim doctor have shared certain insights and provided us with documents that we will present. However, we cannot make any commitments as the CBI is currently investigating the matter,' said BJP State President and MP Shamik Bhattacharya on Sunday. The TMC has been vocal about the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers and their pushback into Bangladesh. Additionally, TMC MPs have been holding protests on the Parliament premises regarding the implementation of the SIR (Special Investigation Report) in Bihar, which they oppose in West Bengal. The meeting will address these issues and discuss the counterstrategy. – With PTI inputs
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Is merit losing ground in TG higher education landscape?
Hyderabad: Despite improvements in access to higher education across Telangana, there are concerns over whether merit-driven students are receiving adequate financial support under current education policies. A closer look at the eligibility data for the PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme, which provides collateral-free and guarantor-free educational loans, reveals that only a handful of state-run Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) meet the criteria set by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) that is used as a yardstick for the scheme. According to NIRF 2024–25 rankings, only 12 HEIs from Telangana are listed nationally, of which just four state-run institutions are included in the list of Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) - the key prerequisite for PM Vidyalaxmi loan eligibility. This raises equity concerns, as students from technology, law, medical, and conventional streams in Telangana continue to bear the burden of self-funded education or seek loans that require collateral and guarantors. The PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme, launched by the central government, targets students admitted on merit-based criteria to institutions ranked within the top 100 (overall and category-specific), top 200 state-governed HEIs, and central government institutions. With a corpus designed to benefit over 22 lakh students annually, the scheme aligns with broader efforts to democratize access to professional education, especially in technical fields. However, the limited representation of state-run institutions in Telangana's NIRF rankings hints at structural gaps in competitiveness and academic quality. While institutions like AIIMS Bibinagar, NALSAR University of Law, and NIPER Hyderabad provide accessible avenues for top-performing students, the state's own educational bodies fall short of qualifying benchmarks. The situation also raises broader policy questions: Has the state prioritised quantity over quality in its higher education expansion? Are talented students missing out due to institutions' inability to rise in national merit-based rankings? While Telangana reports a higher Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) than the national average, the state-run HEIs are struggling to figure out the national merit-based rankings, resulting in their students being on the receiving end. Speaking to The Hans India, a former Vice Chancellor of a Telangana State University, pointed out, 'A strategic overhaul - focusing on infrastructure, faculty development, and innovation - is essential if Telangana intends to elevate the performance and perception of its public institutions.' With schemes like PM Vidyalaxmi offering financial flexibility, state intervention is vital to ensure deserving students in Telangana aren't left behind, merely due to where they study, he pointed out. However, when contacted, Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) Chairman Prof V Balakista Reddy said: 'the council has taken up the issue of improving the NIRF rankings of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) on a priority basis. The council held two to three meetings with the Vice-Chancellors of the universities. The TGCHE had also organised a meeting with the degree and postgraduate colleges to create awareness about improving the quality of education for NIRF rankings.' Besides, the State government has been keen to ensure that state-run HEIs in particular and all educational institutions in the state in general step up quality assurance practices to get the NIRF rankings. 'The State government asked to focus on the improvement of NIRF rankings, as most of the schemes and funding are increasingly getting linked to the NIRF rankings. It has also assured to release funding for the same to ensure more state-run HEIs qualify for the NIRF rankings,' he added.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Naidu urges Gadkari to give speedy clearance to Vizag and Vijayawada metro rail projects
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has requested Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari to give speedy clearance to the Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada metro rail projects, while promising to do what all is required from the State for the smooth implementation of the highway projects. The State government would ensure that land acquisition issues did not hamper the road projects that were crucial for development, Mr. Naidu told Mr. Gadkari, while thanking him for sanctioning eight road projects, including a greenfield highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada, the total cost of which was about ₹27,000 crore. Addressing a meeting where Mr. Gadkari virtually laid foundation for 27 road projects and inaugurated two projects on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said he was happy that the Union Minister agreed to recommend the sanction of an Outer Ring Road (ORR) around Amaravati. He suggested that a bullet train linking Amaravati with Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru would connect the huge population in those States. Mr. Naidu said road projects costing more than ₹70,000 crore were in various stages of execution in Andhra Pradesh, and emphasis had been laid on the construction of sea and airports in order to provide the best logistics facilities. Mr. Naidu said he was impressed by Mr. Gadkari's dynamism in giving tangible shape to the highway projects that involved huge investments, and expressed confidence that under his leadership, the length of the national highways being built in a day would reach 50 km from the present 37 km. The Chief Minister said that Mr. Gadkari had played a key role in the construction of the Polavaram project when he was the Union Minister for Water Resources. Mr. Gadkari said in his speech earlier that Mr. Naidu's vision to link the Godavari, the Krishna and the Penna was commendable, insisting that this project had the potential to take water from there to as far as the tail-end areas in Tamil Nadu. Union Ministers K. Rammohan Naidu, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar and Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, Ministers B.C. Janardhan Reddy and Y. Satya Kumar, and MPs Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Kesineni Sivanath, Daggubati Purandeswari and Vallabhaneni Balashowry were among those present.
