HYDERABAD: With only a few months until the Assembly elections, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao approved a 'Green Channel' fund transfer mechanism for various welfare schemes in order to expedite disbursement of funds and reduce delays to ensure beneficiaries do not face difficulties during the election year.
The 'Green Channel' fund transfer method guarantees that welfare schemes receive funds directly from the government treasuries and sub-treasuries when departments require funds to implement them, rather than having to wait for clearance from the finance department every quarter.
Funds for welfare schemes will be released at one go through the 'Green Channel' for the entire year to ensure no shortage of funds. The CM's orders came into effect on Wednesday as Rs 3,210 crore funds needed for Kalyana Laxmi and Shaadi Mubarak sufficient for the entire year (2023-24) were released at one go. All other welfare schemes will be covered under the 'Green Channel' soon to ensure that there is no dearth of funds for welfare schemes in the election year. The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which won the Assembly polls in 2014 and 2018 is aiming for a hat-trick victory in upcoming Assembly polls scheduled for December this year.
The party leadership believes that welfare schemes such as Aasara pensions, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, free power to agriculture, Kalyana Laxmi, Shaadi Mubarak, Aarogyasri, KCR Kits, Rs 1 per kg rice scheme, among others played a key role in the party retaining power for the second term in the 2018 Assembly polls, and if the party has to secure a hat-trick victory in the Assembly polls in December this year, it should ensure that these schemes are implemented effectively.
The state government lost almost Rs 1 lakh crore in revenue due to the 2019 economic downturn and the Covid-induced financial crisis in 2020 and 2021, which has hampered the implementation of welfare schemes.All the welfare schemes faced fund crunch in the last three years. As a result, the pendency has mounted and the schemes’ implementation has been delayed, causing resentment among beneficiaries. The BRS government wants to overcome these challenges at a time when Assembly elections are just six months away, hence the CM has asked the finance department to set up a 'Green Channel' for the release of funds to welfare schemes.
