Create Public Awareness on Welfare Schemes Through Village/Ward Secretariats

AMARAVATI: During the Spandana video conference, held here on Wednesday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has discussed with District Collectors and SPs on a wide range of issues including Village Secretariats, RBKs, e-cropping, Housing, and other welfare schemes.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the performance of Collectors, Joint Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, ITDA POs, Sub-Collectors in conducting timely inspections of village/wards secretariats. He stated that the efficiency of the secretariats should be further enhanced after inspections by following standard protocols. Posters of various departments, welfare calendars, biometric attendance, registers, records management as well as the performance of secretariat staff and volunteers should be monitored. He instructed the authorities to check whether a grievance number has been displayed or not and also see the basis on which applications are rejected.

He said that applications for Pension, Rice Card, Aarogyasri Card must be verified within 21 days and all those eligible candidates should be sanctioned within 90 days. Besides these, schemes like housing, Netanna Nestam, Cheyuta, Matsyakara Bharosa, and all the eligibility should be confirmed within 90 days of applying and sanction within six months to those who qualify.

The Chief Minister emphasised on creating awareness on welfare schemes among the public through village and ward secretariats. He said that welfare assistants should provide a digital acknowledgment as well as a physical receipt to the beneficiaries after they availed of any schemes. On the last Friday and Saturday of the month, the staff of the village and ward secretariats, together with two or three volunteers, should go door to door to explain the government's plans and take the feedback from people.

The Chief Minister directed the Collectors to talk with bankers to give loans to the housing beneficiaries at minimal interest rates, where they can avail loans in times of emergency. The beneficiaries will be paying interest at 25 paise, while the government will be paying the rest. He said that the loan programme shall boost the housing programme and directed the officials to provide loans in collaboration with SERP and MEPMA.

Deputy Chief Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, Chief Secretary Adityanath Das, Additional DGP A Ravi Shankar, Chief Commissioner Land Administration Neerab Kumar Prasad, Panchayat Raj Secretary Gopalakrishna Dwivedi, Principal Secretary for Health Anil Kumar Singhal, and other officials were present.