The Andhra Pradesh cabinet met on Wednesday to review welfare schemes in the state and approved several key decisions.
The cabinet approved annual financial assistance of Rs 24,000 for weavers. The scheme, titled ‘YSR Netanna Nestam’ (Weaver’s Friend) will cover all households who have a loom and are dependent on weaving for their income. The beneficiary list will be prepared by the end of October, and the scheme is expected to be launched on December 21, Information and Public Relations Minister Perni Venkataramaiah said.
Compensation for the period of the fishing ban between April and June has also been approved for families of fisherfolk. Families with mechanised, motorised, non-motorised boats, along with those who use bamboo boats or rafts (‘teppalu’), will be given an amount of Rs 10,000. This scheme is expected to be implemented from November 21, marking World Fisheries Day. Diesel subsidy for fishermen will be increased by 50% (Rs 6/litre to Rs 9/litre).
The cabinet also approved compensation for over 16,000 fishermen who lost their livelihood due to the GSPC (Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation) pipeline. In the event that ONGC does not come forward with the amount of Rs 80 crore, it was decided that the state government will bear the costs and handover the compensation on November 21.
The cabinet will also be replacing outdated APSRTC buses. It declared that as 3,677 buses out of a total of 11,920 APSRTC buses have travelled more than 10 lakh km, the cabinet has decided to purchase new buses through a term loan of Rs 1,000 crore.
The cabinet also approved the initiation of a water grid under the aegis of the AP Drinking Water Supply Corporation to provide safe drinking water to every village and neighbourhood across the state. It was decided that funds will be raised from public sector banks, NABARD, international development banks, PPPs and Hybrid Annuity Models.
A decision to hike mid-day meal workers' honorarium from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 was also approved. The hike is expected to benefit 88,296 workers, and cost the state government nearly Rs 212 crore. The cabinet also approved a hike in the Daily Duty Allowance for home guards From Rs 600 to Rs 710, which was already passed by the Home Department.
The purchase of 200 borewells was also approved. The Rythu Bharosa scheme for farmers, inaugurated on Tuesday, assures drilling of borewells free of cost.
The cabinet also decided to raise the debt ceiling for the Civil Supplies Corporation by Rs 2,000 crore and released bonds worth Rs 4,741 crore to ease the financial situation of power distribution companies (Discoms) in the state.
Other decisions approved include a hike in the Additional Retail Excise Tax levied on liquor, and an increase in the advertisement tariff for daily newspapers.