Andhra Pradesh government cutting down social welfare pensions, alleges YSRCP leader

Anantapur district YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former MP Ananta Venkatarami Reddy on Friday accused the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government of imposing “inhuman cuts” to social welfare pensions, which he claimed have pushed lakhs of senior citizens and disabled individuals into distress.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Venkatarami Reddy alleged that in the last 14 months, over 4.15 lakh old-age pensions had been discontinued, while nearly two lakh disabled pensioners were at risk of losing their entitlements in the near future. He accused the government of using the ongoing re-verification drives as a tool to arbitrarily reduce disability percentages and disqualify beneficiaries, motivated by political vendetta.

Pointing to official records, Mr. Venkatarami Reddy noted that during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the number of social pension beneficiaries had increased from 30 lakh to 66.34 lakh, which included approximately eight lakh disabled persons. In stark contrast, the current coalition government has slashed this number to 62.19 lakh.

“In Anantapur district alone, more than 19,000 disabled persons have been deprived of their pension benefits,” he said, adding that the distress caused by these cuts led one of the affected beneficiaries, in a state of depression, to attempt suicide outside the Collectorate.

Mr. Venkatarami Reddy also condemned TDP MLA Daggubati Venkateswara Prasad for making allegedly indecent remarks against the mother of actor Jr. NTR.