Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, along with Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, here on Sunday launched the direct “Cash Transfer Scheme” at Gollaprolu in East Godavari district. This is the first time that the scheme was launched in the State on a pilot basis.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the scheme, the Chief Minister said his government has taken a decision to supply four or five more commodities through Fair Price shops from Ugadi festival as against the criticism of the Opposition parties that the government was diluting the scheme.
Referring to the criticism of the TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu that the number of welfare schemes were being reduced, the Chief Minister said, on the other hand, they were expanding these schemes. He said that apart from the Re. 1-a-kg rice scheme, the government would introduce more welfare schemes soon. He said that commodities like salt, redgram and tamarind would be distributed through the ration shops. Stating that five crore Adhaar cards have already been distributed in the State, he said the beneficiaries of the present scheme could buy ration from any ration shop and draw money from the micro ATMs.
Referring to the criticism of the Opposition parties that though the government was providing rice for Re. 1 a kg, prices of other essential commodities had shot up, Kiran said this decision was taken to rebut such criticism. He said the scheme (CTS) stands out as an example to the Congress party’s commitment to people’s welfare. He said that with the blessings of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the government was introducing several welfare schemes. Stating that the government had debt burden when he became the Chief Minister, Kiran said he was slowly surmounting all the problems.
Satyanaryana Murty, a handicapped person from I Polavaram, became the first beneficiary of the cash transfer scheme.
–Agencies