Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited Kuppam, the Assembly constituency represented by Opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday, September 23. This was Jagan’s first visit to Kuppam since being sworn in as Chief Minister in 2019. Jagan was in town to launch the third phase of the YSR Cheyutha scheme for women entrepreneurs, and also to lay foundation stones for various development works. Jagan addressed a public meeting at Animiganipalle, where YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders went all out to display strength in Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Naidu’s home turf.
Kuppam town had witnessed clashes between workers of the ruling YSRCP and TDP earlier in August. An Anna canteen set up by the TDP and inaugurated by Naidu was vandalised on two separate occasions. On the day of the canteen’s inauguration on August 25, during Naidu’s visit to Kuppam, YSRCP workers allegedly attacked TDP members and vandalised a few banners set up in front of the canteen building, leading to clashes between the two groups. A few days later, the canteen was found vandalised again by unidentified persons.
Under the YSR Cheyutha scheme, women from SC/ST/OBC/minority communities aged 45 to 60 years are provided with a financial incentive of Rs 75,000 over four years. Speaking at the Cheyutha disbursement event held at Animiganipalle, CM Jagan said that a weeklong Cheyutha festival would be held at Kuppam, where elected representatives will visit each house at the mandal level. The Chief Minister also announced a hike in pensions from Rs 2,500 to Rs 2,750 with effect from January. He said it would eventually reach the promised figure of Rs 3,000.
For the third consecutive year, 26.39 lakh beneficiaries are receiving the amount of Rs 4,949.44 crore directly into their bank accounts under the YSR Cheyutha scheme, Jagan said. He added that in three years, Rs 14,110.62 crore were given under the scheme. In total, the YSRCP government has disbursed Rs 3.12 lakh crore under DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) and non-DBT schemes, of which Rs 2.39 lakh crore was given only to women, he said.
CM Jagan also claimed that the Kuppam constituency has seen development after the YSRCP government came to power. Listing out the development work done in Kuppam, the Chief Minister said water to Kuppam canal, municipality status to Kuppam, and a separate revenue division were all given by the Jagan government. He criticised Chandrababu Naidu and alleged that he could not take up any development activity in the past 33 years that he has represented Kuppam. He alleged that Naidu had tapped into the Backward Classes (BC) vote bank but failed to work for their welfare. “From the Rs 6.5 crore Reddipalli Ramkuppam power substation to the railway under bridge, integrated office complex and sanctioning of Rs 20 crore to Dravidian University, everything was done by this government,” Jagan said.