Ministers refute YSRCP’s allegations of corruption in disaster relief in Andhra Pradesh

The government has disbursed ₹601 crore through DBT to more than four lakh flood victims in the State, they assert

Refuting the allegations of corruption in and mismanagement of disaster relief funds levelled by YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, members of the Cabinet Sub Committee on Disaster Management said on October 9 (Wednesday) that the government had spent ₹601 crore out of the sanctioned ₹602 crore in a transparent manner through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

The committee members said, “The government disbursed ₹601 crore as flood relief to approximately 4.06 lakh victims in the State.“

The committee members, who included Ministers Anagani Satya Prasad (Revenue, Registration, and Stamps), P. Narayana (Municipal Administration and Urban Development), and Vangalapudi Anitha (Home), held a review meeting on the progress of disbursement of assistance to the flood-affected victims. They later addressed the media at the Secretariat.

Mr. Satya Prasad said of the total estimated relief amount of ₹602 crore, the government had spent ₹601 crore, and the remaining would be disbursed promptly after completing Aadhaar seeding for the eligible beneficiaries.

The Ministers explained that the government’s swift response helped the victims recover in a short span of time.

He further said that despite about 115 days since the new government took charge, under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, extensive efforts were made to provide immediate relief to the flood victims.

‘Transparent process’

Mr. Narayana highlighted the transparency and fairness with which the government handled relief distribution, contrasting it with the previous administration.

He noted that the compensation for flood victims was increased from about ₹4,000 thousand to ₹25,000, and additional financial support was provided to the affected households, including those who lost essential goods like refrigerators, gas stoves, and vehicles.

Ms. Anitha praised the efforts of Mr. Naidu, who had stayed put in the flood-affected NTR district for 10 days, overseeing the relief operations.

Terming as baseless the accusations of corruption, she said out of ₹601 crore spent on relief, ₹92.5 crore was on food and ₹11.2 crore on drinking water. Ms. Anitha dared Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy to come forward for an open debate on the issue.

The Ministers reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continuing relief efforts and addressing pending issues for the remaining victims.

Published - October 09, 2024 09:55 pm IST