The governments in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh even after three months of bifurcation of the state, have failed to give a new lease of life the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which is considered to be a boon for needy and poor families to get financial assistance for emergency medical treatment.
Scores of CMRF applications have been lying pending for over five months in both the Secretariat.
Previously, CMs in the united state had sanctioned amounts ranging up to Rs 2 lakh, depending on the ailment of the beneficiary.
The sanctions have been bring to a halt after President’s Rule was imposed in March this year following resignation of former CM N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Both the states have taken no initiative to clear either the pending applications or process new applications. The government used to disburse nearly Rs 20 crore per annum to beneficiaries. The staff in both the Chief Ministers Offices cannot elucidate whether the CMRF exists or not at present.
Lots of old and new applicants approaching the CMOs for financial aid every week are being sent back empty handed.
Moreover, no one knows the fate of thousands of applications approved by the previous Congress government till March. Almost 6,000 applications were pending with the CMO when Mr Reddy stepped down as CM.
Later, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, during President’s Rule, constituted a committee to process and give approval to the applications. However, not a single application was cleared. Though the formation of new governments in June brought a ray of hope for applicants, all their hopes were smash to smithereens with both the CMs hardly taking any steps for the purpose even after three months.
Officials in both the CMOs remain tight-lipped on the issue and wash their hands of to comment saying that it’s up to the CMs to take a decision over when to revive the disbursal of funds under CMRF.
Based on the residence of the applicants, the applications were forwarded to the respective CMOs. But, the CMOs have been rejecting them without citing any reason.
By sanctioning funds amounting to Rs 180 crore under CMRF to over 30,000 poor and needy families Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy had created a record during his three-year stint as CM, which was a record of sorts.
Beneficiaries under CMRF multiply during the YSR government when the number crossed 1 lakh between 2004 and 2009 contrary to just 12,175 between 2000 and 2004 during the TDP regime.