Andhra Pradesh government to aid small-scale firms

AMARAVATI: The state government has designed a programme to utilise available sources to alleviate poverty in municipal areas by creating opportunities for additional income to the residents and this would be implemented by the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (Mepma). According to the programme, the state government, through Mepma,  would assist about 3 lakh urban residents to get a minimum of Rs 50,000 additional income and also ensure better living standards.

For that, a corpus of Rs 200 crore was allocated and another Rs 50 crore has been earmakred for the SC, ST, BC, Minority and Kapu corporations. The Mepma Mission director Mr. P. China Tataiah informed that they have been identifying 3-5 lakh people in the urban areas who have been engaged in various small scale and cottage industries to provide the financial support.

He further explained that those who could not get financial support from banks would be assisted through the Mepma. He further added that most of the subsidy would go to the SHG women in the state. Mr China Tataiah informed that about Rs 3,000 would be provided through bank linkage, Rs 200 crore through Streenidhi, Mepma corpus amount of Rs 200 crore, and Rs 50 crore through the SC, ST, BC and Minority Corporations to the 3-5 lakh people in the state.

Further, he informed that they create two  common production and facility centres for each district in the state. He said food vending, fish vending and vegetable vending zones would be created in each district in the state. He said that through financial assistance, Mepma aims to provide quality and happy life to the urban poor in the state.  

Wealth alone does not lead to quality life: Expert

Improving the health and nutrition, standards of education, providing skill development to the unemployed youth, providing social security apart from creating additional wealth to the urban poor would play crucial role in minimising the poverty, observed the urban planners and experts. The government officials, while accepting the same, are saying that the new strategy will have impact on urban people’s life if it is executed  properly on time.

Mepma’s aim to provide quality life in the state for the urban poor, by improving the living standards apart from providing financial assistance, explained Mr. T. China Tataiah, mission director, Mepma. He said that health alone would not bring in quality life. Education, health and social security are a part of quality life.

For this, they developed a comprehensive plan which has four pillars,  including financial assistance, health, education-skill development and social security. The first pillar will support the urban poor to earn additional income. The second pillar is reduction of expenditure on health by preventing the diseases. The third pillar will support for education to the children like foundation courses, e-literacy and others and skill development for unemployed youth. The last one is social security through Chandranna Bhima, Anna Abhaya Hastam, shelter for urban homeless and social security pensions.