Facing polls next year, Andhra CM Jagan aims to bring more people under his welfare ambit

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday launched Jagananna Suraksha — a campaign to enrol all eligible but left-over beneficiaries in the state under the ambit of his welfare schemes.

The YSRCP government has taken up another programme to resolve people’s grievances under the banner Jaganannaku Chebudam (Let's Tell Jagan).

Betting big on his welfare-oriented governance, Jagan will face the state Assembly elections next summer. Having bagged 151 MLA seats in 2019, the YSRCP chief has now set the target of winning all 175 constituencies in 2024.

Jagananna Suraksha, conceived as a massive public outreach programme, will cover 1.6 crore families in 15,004 village and ward secretariats across AP while taking administration, and welfare delivery to the doorstep of every household.

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The massive, month-long exercise is aimed at reaching out to 5.3 crore citizens. Suraksha camps would be conducted at the secretariat level in every Mandal from July 1.

Launching Jagananna Suraksha virtually from his camp office at Tadepalli, the CM said the programme will handhold all leftover eligible beneficiaries from the stage of enrollment to delivery of welfare benefits.

“While the Janmabhoomi Committees during the TDP rule harassed people, seeking bribes for extending welfare benefits, we have been offering 600 types of services at the village level through secretariats transparently for the last four years,” the CM stated while adding that eligibility only served as criteria for extending welfare benefits under his rule.

So far, eligible people irrespective of caste, creed and political loyalties, have received welfare benefits worth Rs 3.1 lakh crore through Navaratnalu including the Rs 2.16 lakh crore handed through DBT welfare schemes. This was done with full transparency, ushering in real Grama Swaraj, Jagan stated.

“98 to 99 per cent of the eligible people are receiving welfare benefits. We are enrolling the leftover people through a bi-annual exercise conducted in July and December. Still, there might be some people left uncovered for some reasons even after grievance redressal through Jaganannaku Chebudam. These grievances would be effectively addressed with Jagananna Suraksha,” the CM observed.

Describing the massive exercise of reaching out to the poor involving lakhs of officials and people’s representatives as unprecedented in the country, Jagan said that eligible people would be given required certificates and enrolled as beneficiaries in the camps.

Volunteers, secretariat conveners, Gruhasaradhulu, public representatives and other enthusiasts would visit the families from Saturday and identify people left uncovered under welfare schemes despite meeting eligibility.

MPDOs, Deputy Tehasildars, Panchayat Raj Eos, Municipal Commissioners, and Zonal Commissioners would be part of the teams and camps to be supervised by District Collectors. Senior officials, respective MLAs would also attend the camps to coordinate grievance resolution.