Hans News Service Guntur

AP Biodiversity Board chairman Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar said the coalition government in AP has demonstrated that welfare and development can go hand in hand by spending more than Rs 1.17 lakh crore on 12 major welfare programmes within just two years of assuming office. Addressing a press conference at the TDP central office in Mangalagiri on Friday, he asserted the government’s commitment to fulfilling every promise made to the people. He said the government has accorded the highest priority to social security by increasing the social pension to Rs 4,000 per month. Drawing a comparison with the previous YSRCP government, Vijay Kumar claimed that while the former administration spent around Rs 84,000 crore on pensions during its entire five-year tenure, the coalition government has already spent more than Rs 68,000 crore within just two years.

Highlighting support to farmers, Vijay Kumar said the coalition government has provided over Rs 12,110 crore under the Annadata Sukhibhava programme, supplementing the financial assistance extended by the central government.

Referring to the Talliki Vandanam programme, he said the government has honoured its commitment by extending financial assistance of Rs 15,000 for every eligible school-going child in a family. He said the coalition government has cleared Rs 3,838 crore for pending scholarship and fee reimbursement dues left behind by the previous government while simultaneously meeting current liabilities. According to him, around Rs 3,700 crore has been spent under the Deepam LPG subsidy scheme.