The Election Commission has directed the Andhra Pradesh government to utilise direct benefit transfer (DBT) and other alternative arrangements to distribute welfare schemes to beneficiaries during the period of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), an official said on Sunday. Disbursal of pensions assumed significance and controversy in the run-up to elections after the poll body restrained government volunteers from carrying out welfare duties until the MCC period ends.

Ruling YSRCP and the opposition NDA alliance of TDP, BJP and Janasena traded allegations over alleged hardships faced by beneficiaries while receiving pensions in April.

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Shashi Bhushan Kumar, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department said the poll body ordered the state to follow its guidelines in letter and spirit to ensure that no beneficiary faces any hardship to avail the benefits when the MCC is in effect.

“The payment of pensions through DBT using Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS) will be made to pensioners, whose Aadhaar is mapped to bank accounts as confirmed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI),” Kumar said in a press release.

Consequently, nearly 49 lakh or 75 per cent of over 65 lakh welfare pensioners will receive their pensions through DBT mode on May 1.

Furthermore, pensioners belonging to categories such as specially-abled, seriously ailing, infirm, bedridden, wheelchair-bound, elderly widows of war veterans and those beneficiaries whose bank account is not mapped with their Aadhar cards will get their pensions through doorstep delivery.

More than 25 per cent or over 16 lakh pensioners will receive their pensions through the door-to-door route. Pensions will be disbursed between May 1 and 5, Kumar said, adding that the necessary instructions were issued to district collectors and banks to make adequate arrangements.

Proposal To Hike Pensions

YSRCP chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday released his party’s manifesto for the upcoming elections and promised to gradually hike welfare pensions from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 per month and govern the state from Visakhapatnam. The chief minister noted that welfare pensions, which are currently at Rs 3,000 per month, will be raised to Rs 3,250 from January 2028 and subsequently to Rs 3,500 from January 2029.

“Immediately after YSRCP forms the government in 2024, Visakhapatnam will be made the executive capital and the seat of the government. It will be developed as the growth engine of the state,” said Reddy, addressing a press conference.

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Further, he vowed that Amaravati will be developed as the legislative capital and Kurnool as the judicial capital. Creation of special panchayats for Dalits who account for 50 percent population of a village or 500 households is a new scheme introduced in the manifesto.

Continuing almost all the schemes introduced in the past five years, Reddy said he would also raise the financial outlay for some schemes such as Amma Vodi, a financial aid scheme for mothers who send their children to school, which has been hiked from Rs 15,000 per annum to Rs 17,000.YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme, which benefits farmers, would be hiked from Rs 13,500 to Rs 16,000 per annum, guaranteeing a financial aid of Rs 80,000 over the next five years.

Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.