CONGRESS PARTY SIX GAURANTEES IN TELANGANA–ANALYSIS

Broadly speaking, welfare means efforts to provide a basic level of well- being through subsidized social services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, transportation, vocational training, and public housing. While, Amartya Sen has stressed on State-led social welfare schemes to tackle India’s developmental issues, others like Bhagwati argues that focusing on economic growth is important so that enough resources are available for social welfare programs. In his view, inequality may rise with economic growth initially, but sustained growth will eventually also sustain the social benefit programs to redistribute and mitigate the effects of the initial inequality. In any country, welfare programmes should be parallel to the economic development of a country. That is to say, balance must be maintained between the development and welfare. Welfare programs that are beyond a country's development level are not good for the economic development of a country, as it happened in Greece. On the other hand, if the economy develops rapidly without corresponding improvement in people's living standards and public welfare, people will not feel a "sense of gain", which in turn will have a negative impact on economic development. It is a very pathetic condition that in our country all the political parties promise several things before elections to come in to power, and never explain the public, how they will fulfil the said promises. Here, I will try to explain the need to maintain the balance between welfare and development with examples: First, welfare is not a free lunch. Welfare at any level needs economic support. High welfare under high debt will create many social problems as happened in Greece, which will ruin economies. On the other hand, Sweden depend on high taxation and high deficit. But high welfare supported by high taxation reduces development funds for enterprises, impeding the development of enterprises. And if enterprises lose energy, the entire economy will suffer. High taxation also affects individuals' desire and capacity for consumption and thus undermines people's enthusiasm to expand production. Second, excessive welfare will breed dependence and result in waste of social resources. Although, high welfare comes from individual tax payers’ contribution, it seems like a public welfare provided by the State. It will result in many social problems, such as waste of social resources, voluntarily unemployment and retirement in advance. Once people get used to this kind of dependence, economic development will be undermined. Third, excessive welfare beyond a country's development level will impede accumulation and harm welfare programs in the future. In economics, production is the top priority and it decides consumption. A society has to improve its production level if it wants to improve its consumption level. Production here refers to extended production, because only expanding the scale will breed competition and provide unfailing supply. The expansion of scale should be high-quality and high-level expansion of production through innovation and improvement of the industrial structure. Fourth, the distribution of public welfare should be fair and transparent. Today, the public welfare in different social groups is unbalanced, especially when it comes to urban and rural areas. Therefore, the authorities should make efforts to rectify the imbalance and should take measures to prevent unfairness and corruption from creeping into redistribution of welfare. India is a developing country, and development is a key in solving social, economic problems, and only further development can guarantee sustainable and high-level welfare. Any Welfare Scheme must support the livelihood and elevate his/her economic status but should not make him/her as slave. In fact, the present Governments are making their citizens as slaves and using them as their vote bank at the cost of State (Public) Exchequer. Thus, wasting tax payers’ money. In this context, I would like to remind our Central and State Governments to learn and must follow from this Chinese proverb – “Don’t give fishes freely to the public but should train them how to fish”. That is to say, not to give anything freely but make them self-reliant and earn their livelihood themselves without depending on the Government. Actually, any Government’s basic duty is to provide all with the basic needs like providing employment opportunities, free education up to Intermediate (12th Class) to all, especially economically weaker sections, infrastructure facilities like medical, health, safe drinking water, good roads and homes etc. Forgetting this, today Governments are providing freely some unnecessary welfare schemes like free food @ Rs. 5 per person (Annapurna Canteens in Telangana State), Free transportation, Rythu bandhu for rich farmers (eliminating tenant farmers) etc. for the sake of votes. Due to this, previous BRS Telangana Government was not in a position to pay salaries and pensions on 1st every month. Telangana Government is scrambling for funds to implement Welfare Schemes. In such a worst financial situation of Telangana State, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge unveiled the party's manifesto, named 'Abhaya Hastham,' for the Telangana elections. The manifesto includes six guarantees. Six Guarantees of Congress Party: 1. Mahalaxmi Scheme • INR 2500 Financial assistance to women • INR 500 for gas cylinder • Free travel in RTC buses 2. Telangana Rythu Bharosa • INR 15000 for farmers INR 1200 for agriculture labours • INR 500 bonus for paddy crops 3. Telangana Gruha Jyothi Scheme • 200 units of free electricity 4. Indiramma Indlu Housing Scheme • INR 5 lacs for all those who do not have a house in Telangana state • 250 sq. yards for all Telangana movement fighters 5. Telangana Yuva Vikasam Scheme • Vidya Bharosa card worth INR 5 lakh for Telangana students • Establishment of an International School in Telangana at every Mandal 6. Cheyutha Scheme Telangana • Health Insurance up to INR 10 lakh for elderly citizens • Pension of INR 4000 to elderly poor citizen Congress Party promised to implement the above said guarantees within 100 days of resuming in to power. Nobody will oppose and nothing wrong to declare several welfare programmes to the public in their election manifestos by the political parties. But, I don’t understand why the political parties have forgotten their responsibility to explain the public that how they will fulfil their election promises. In the recent Telangana State elections, Election Parties competitively declared many promises to win the elections. I don’t understand why the Telangana Congress manifesto did not explain the modalities of implementation of six guarantees. Telangana's outstanding public debt is estimated to be Rs 3,57,059 crore, according to the Budget estimates 2023-24 which is 23.8 per cent of GSDP. According to the Government’s latest declaration in the Telangana State Assembly, presently the State is reeling under a total of debt of Rs 6 lakh 71 thousand crore. The Centre has steadfastly refused to increase the borrowing limits under FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003). In such a worst economic situation, it is definitely a big challenge for Telangana Congress Government to fulfil six guarantees. Analysis of Six Guarantees: First, Mahalakshmi Scheme: Under this scheme, women of Telangana will receive: Rs. 2,500 every month, Gas cylinders for Rs. 500, Free travel in TRTC buses. According to one estimate Telangana Government is require to spend about Rs. 24,000 crores to provide Rs. 2,500 for women per month, about Rs. 3,199 crore @ Rs. 500 per Gas Cylinder and about Rs. 2500 crore for women free TSRTC travel annually. Second, Rythu Bharosa: Under this scheme, farmers will be provided: Rs. 15,000 per acre for farmers, and tenants, Rs. 12,000 per year for agriculture labour and a bonus of Rs. 500 per year for paddy crop, Free electricity to farmers. Under the BRS government's Rythu Bandhu, farmers were paid Rs 10,000 annually. The previous BRS government has paid Rs 72,000 crore under a similar scheme as Rythu Bandhu during the past five and half years, with 70 lakh farmers benefitting. Now, the Congress increased from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15000 per acre for farmers and also promised to pay Rs. 12,000 per year for agriculture labour and bonus of Rs. 500 per year for paddy crop. These additional promises under the Rythu Bharosa will be a lot of additional financial burden on the State exchequer. Already Telangana State Electricity Discoms are reeling under more than Rs. 85,000 crore debt. In such a situation, the continuation 24-hour power supply will be a herculean task. Third, Gruha Jyothi: Under the scheme, Congress promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to every household. This is estimated to cost about Rs. about 2,500 crores on the State exchequer. Fourth, Indiramma Indlu: Under this scheme, the Congress promised 250 sq. yards plot for all Telangana movement fighters. House site and Rs. 5 lakhs for people not having their own house. This estimated to burden the State exchequer of about Rs. 9,202 crores. Fifth, Yuva Vikasam: This scheme is for the youth of the state. It includes: Vidya Bharosa card worth Rs. 5 lakhs for students. Setting up Telangana International Schools in every Mandal. The students who got selected under the Yuva Vikasam Scheme will get a Vidya Bharosa Card. Through this card, students will get Rs. 5,00,000 as financial assistances for their education. This scholarship amount will be given to the students of Telangana International Schools. Sixth, Cheyutha Scheme Telangana: Under this Scheme Health Insurance up to INR 10 lakh for elderly citizens and Pension of INR 4000 to elderly poor citizen will be provided. This is estimated to cost about Rs. 40,000 crores a year. In addition to the above said Schemes, the Congress Party also promised to waive up to Rs. 2 lakh farm loan. The BRS government had budgeted Rs 21,000 lakh crore to waive up to Rs one lakh. As per the calculation, the Congress government needs to allot at least 35,000 lakh crore for the next five years to implement the farm loan waiver. According to the state government statistics, as many as 42 lakh farmers were identified as beneficiaries during the previous regime for the crop loan waiver. To implement above said 6 Guarantees and to waive up to Rs. 2 lakh farm loan, according to a rough estimate there will be an additional burden of more than 70 lakh crore per year on the State exchequer. Minimum Support Declared by Congress in Their Manifesto: Sl. No. Crop Present MSP)/Quintal INC Promised MSP/Quintal 1. Paddy 2,183 2,683 2. Maize 1,870 2,200 3. Red Gram 6,300 6,700 4. Soya Bean 3,950 4,400 5. Cotton 6,025 6,500 6. Chilli ----------- 15,000 7. Turmeric ----------- 12,000 8. Sorghum ----------- 3,500 9. Sugar Cane ----------- 4,000 10. Jowar 2,758 3,050 Source: Indian National Congress (INC) Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee-Assembly Elections – 2023: Abhya Hastham (Manifesto). As a part of implementation of Two Guarantees out of Six Guarantees recently elected Telangana Congress Government released a subsidy of Rs. 374 crores for the free travel to women scheme in the TSRTC buses along with Rs. 298 crores for Rajiv Aarogya Sri Scheme and Rs. 996 crores for power subsidy. Though, my analysis is confined to Six Guarantees, I have provided Congress manifesto highlights other than Six Guarantees below for favour of information. Manifesto Highlights Other than Six Guarantees: 1. Congress party is committed to restore democratic governance as per the spirit and wishes of the Telangana people. 2. We will hold a "Praja Darbar" (public court) every day at the Chief Minister's camp office. 3. We will provide a monthly honorary pension of Rs. 25,000 to the parents or spouse of the martyrs of the first and second phases of the Telangana movement, and provide a government job to one member of their family. 4. We will withdraw the cases against the Telangana movement activists and allocate them a 250 yards house site. 5. We will waive off the crop loans of farmers up to Rs. 2 lakhs. 6. Farmers will be given interest-free crop loans of up to Rs. 3 lakhs. 7. Farmers will be provided with uninterrupted free power for 24 hours. 8. A comprehensive crop insurance scheme will be provided for all major crops. 9. A judicial inquiry will be conducted by a sitting High Court judge into all irregularities and corruption in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. 10. In accordance with 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, the three tier system of local bodies will be rejuvenated with their past glory by assigning the responsibilities, funds and management of local development works. 11. All vacant teacher posts will be filled through Mega DSC within 6 months. 13. A rural youth financial corporation will be set up with initial capital of Rs. 1000 crores to provide self-employment opportunities by encouraging start-ups and small and medium scale industries. 14. Annual job calendars will be released and 2 lakhs vacant posts will be filled transparently within a specified time period. 15. Free internet through Wi-Fi facilities will be provided to all students. 16. Increase the allocation of the budget for the education sector from the present 6% to 15%. 17. The monthly salary of mid-day meal workers working in all government schools will be increased to Rs. 10,000. 17. (a)The monthly salary of Anganwadi teachers will be increased to Rs. 18,000, and they will be brought under EPF coverage to ensure job security. 18. Around 6,000 closed schools will be reopened with better facilities. 19. Four more IIITs will be set up similar to Basara IIIT. 20. Knee surgery will be included under the Arogyasri scheme. 21. "Bhumata" portal will be introduced in place of the Dharani portal and justice will be done to all farmers who have lost their land rights. 22. We will establish the "Land Commission" to resolve all land rights issues. 23. We will provide full land rights to the beneficiaries on 25 lakh acres that were distributed to the poor through land reforms. 24. We will provide a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1,500 to village panchayat ward members. 25. An honorary pension will be paid to ex sarpanches, ex-MPTCs and ex-ZPTC members. 26. Village volunteers’ system will be introduced to help target groups to access various government programmes for the rural people. 27. We will immediately pay the three DAs arrears that are pending to all government employees and pensioners. 28. We will abolish the current Contributory Pension Scheme (NPS) and re-introduce the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). 29. We will announce a new PRC for government employees and TSRTC staff, and implement its recommendations within 6 months. 30. We will ensure payment of salaries of government employees on the 1st of every month. 31. We will increase the monthly salary of anganwadi teachers to Rs. 18,000 and also they will be brought under EPF coverage to ensure their job security. 32. Along with completion of the merger of TSRTC into the government, we will immediately pay the two PRC arrears to RTC workers. 33. Provide financial assistance of Rs. 12,000 per year to every auto rickshaw driver. 34. Pending traffic challans will be cleared with a 50% discount through a onetime settlement scheme. 35. Completely abolish belt shops. 36. Establish three new corporations for the Madigas, Malas, and other SC sub-castes after the SC categorization. 38. Provide increased reservations based on population for BCs after conducting a "caste census" for BCs. 39. Provide 5% reservation for nomadic tribes/denotified tribes in education and employment opportunities. 40. Establish a "BC Bhavan" in the name of Professor Jayashankar in every district headquarters. 41. Name Jangaon district after Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud district. 42. Establish corporations for all castes of backward classes and allocate adequate funds. 43. Implement a sub-plan for Backward Classes (BCs). 44. Establish a special welfare board for EBCs. 45. Institute a minority sub-plan with adequate funds. 46. Provide Rs. 1,00,000 and 10 grams of gold as Indiramma gift to the Hindu and Rs. 1,60,000 for the minority girls at the time of their marriage. 47. Review and simplify the policy of compassionate appointments in the Singareni collieries. 48. The Congress Party will not allow the privatization of the Singareni company under any circumstances. 49. Bring the beedi workers under the purview of life insurance and ESI. 50. Increase the ex-gratia for Toddy Tappers who have deceased accidentally to Rs. 10 lakhs. 51. Provide Rs. 2 lakhs through DBT, directly to Yadavas and Kurmars for sheep rearing without middlemen. 52. Provide social security to unorganized workers, such as construction workers, auto rickshaw drivers, cab drivers, working for companies such as Swiggy, Zomato, Ola & Uber in line with the Rajasthan model. 53. Revive the "Bangaru Thalli" scheme to provide financial assistance for every girl child born. 54. Provide free electric scooters to every girl studying higher education and are above the age of 18. 55. Establish "Old Age Homes" in all district headquarters. 56. The issue of long pending house site allotment for Journalists in Hyderabad city will be resolved immediately. 57. Provide Rs. 5 lakhs in cash to the families of deceased journalists. 38. We will provide a monthly honorarium of Rs. 5,000 to public distribution ration dealers in the state. 39. Supply fine rice on white ration cards. 40. Establish a welfare board for Gulf workers. 41. Increase the monthly pension for the disabled to Rs. 6,000. 42. Issue gender reassignment certificates and identity cards to transgender people. 43. Establish a residential sports school in each district. 44. Immediately resolve all the problems of home guards along with salary revisions. 45. Pay a monthly pension of Rs. 3,000 to folk artists over the age of 50. 46. Osmania hospital structure will be preserved as a Heritage monument, while ensuring modern health care infrastructure is developed within the hospital campus. 47. Construct new metro routes on the LB Nagar - Aramghar - Mehdipatnam - BHEL routes. 48. Modernize the drains to make Hyderabad a flood-free city. 49. Waive penalties on property tax and house tax arrears in municipalities, corporations, and gram panchayats across the state. 50. Establish Basti public schools with all modern facilities in municipal and municipality centers. 58. We will provide a monthly honorarium of Rs. 5,000 to public distribution ration dealers in the state. 59. Supply fine rice on white ration cards. 60. Establish a welfare board for Gulf workers. 61. Increase the monthly pension for the disabled to Rs. 6,000. 62. Issue gender reassignment certificates and identity cards to transgender people. 63. Establish a residential sports school in each district. 64. Immediately resolve all the problems of home guards along with salary revisions. 65. Pay a monthly pension of Rs. 3,000 to folk artists over the age of 50. 66. Osmania hospital structure will be preserved as a Heritage monument, while ensuring modern health care infrastructure is developed within the hospital campus. 67. Construct new metro routes on the LB Nagar - Aramghar - Mehdipatnam - BHEL routes. 68. Modernize the drains to make Hyderabad a flood-free city. 69. Waive penalties on property tax and house tax arrears in municipalities, corporations, and gram panchayats across the state. 70. Establish Basti public schools with all modern facilities in municipal and municipality centers. Policy Recommendations: Without modifications to the Six Guarantees, it is highly impossible to implement them in Toto. Hence, I am suggesting the following policy recommendations to the Government of Telangana with good will and faith to implement them in letter and spirit in the interest of bright future and welfare of the Telangana people and to save Telangana State from falling in further serious financial crisis and debt trap. 1. Mahalaxmi Scheme: (a) Rs. 2,500 monthly financial assistances to women. Regarding this point, first of all, Government must identify the women who are in the below poverty line (BPL) and give them the above said amount per month. (b) Gas Cylinder at Rs. 500/ - also should be given to the women who are living below poverty line. (c) Free travel to women in TSRTC buses across the Telangana State. To implement this program effectively, Government must provide some “Special Free Buses to Women” and allow them in these buses only and not in all TSRTC Buses, so that to some extent we can avoid financial losses to the TSRTC. Sources in the state government told PTI that according to a rough estimate, the RTC earns Rs 2,500 crore annually through women passengers. If the scheme is to be implemented, the Telangana Government will have to reimburse the same amount to the corporation which is reeling under accumulated losses of Rs 6,000 crore. It would be further better if income per annum criteria per women is followed for the implementation of this Scheme. 2. Rythu Bharosa: (a) Financial assistance of Rs. 15,000 per acre to farmers and Tenant farmers. This financial help should to be provided only to the small farmers (up to 5 acres) and marginal farmers (up to 2.5 acres). In order to avoid duplication only one i.e. either the owner of the land or the tenant farmer should be given only if he/she actually does the agriculture. One possibility involves using the possession of Loan Eligibility Cards (LECs) issued under the Land Licensed Cultivators Act of 2011 that entitled tenants to credit, insurance, and subsidies, as an eligibility criterion for receiving the benefits to the tenant farmers under Rythu Bharosa Scheme. (b) Rs. 12,000 to Agricultural Labourers per year. (Agricultural labourers means those who earns major part of their income from agriculture as their livelihood). Government must identify these people on basis of their information provided in their white ration cards (Annual income and main profession). So that we can provide financial help who really deserves. 3. Gruha Jyothi: (a) 200 units of free electricity to all the households. This is a herculean task, especially when already Telangana State Electricity Discoms are reeling under more than Rs. 85,000 crore debt. Hence, Government should reduce the electricity consumption units’ limit to 100 and also apply BPL Criteria. 4. Indiramma Indlu: Under this scheme, (a) Congress promised 250 sq. yards plot for all Telangana movement fighters. (b) House site and Rs. 5 lakhs for people not having their own house. This is estimated to burden the State exchequer of about Rs. 9,202 crores. Hence, once again BPL criteria should be applied. 5. Yuva Vikasam: This scheme is for the youth of the state. It includes: a) Vidya Bharosa card worth Rs. 5 lakhs for students. (b) Setting up Telangana International Schools in every Mandal The students who got selected under the Yuva Vikasam Scheme will get a Vidya Bharosa Card. Through this card, students will get Rs. 5,00,000 as financial assistances for their education. This scholarship amount will be given to the students of Telangana International Schools. I opine, this financial assistance should be provided to all the students irrespective schools, caste and creed based on merit/talent. 6. Cheyutha Scheme Telangana: Under this Scheme: (a) Health Insurance up to INR 10 lakh for elderly citizens (b) Pension of INR 4000 to elderly poor citizen will be provided. This is estimated to cost about Rs. 40,000 crores a year. Economically weaker sections should be given, so that only deserved people will be benefitted. 7. Identifying The Financial Leakages in The Administration: Former Telugu Desham Government under NTR leadership to avoid unnecessary financial wastage took a dare step to dissolve State Legislative Council and Corporation Chairman posts. The leaders in power must realise that they are the servants of the public and not the bosses, as Chief Minister Sri. Revanth Reddy said in several occasions. 8. Political Leaders Must Be a Role Model to the Public: Today, people are hating the leaders because most of them are corrupted and criminals. So, the political leaders must introspect themselves and try to be a role model to the people. To conclude, As the Chief Minister Mr. Revanth Reddy said on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, welfare schemes should be implemented in the case deserved only. Development of Telangana State in all spheres must be the first aim of the present Congress Government. First of all, their responsibility is to adhere to financial discipline and avoid financial wastage, live a simple life by avoiding pomp and glory and to serve the people impartially. Let the Telangana State become No. 1 in India and a model for many countries in the world. References: 1. Amartya Sen: What China Could Teach India, Then and Now: The Citigroup & Asia Society Global Issues Series. 2. How to balance welfare and economic growth By Li Yiping (China Daily), Updated: 2016-01-22 09:27. 3. Indian National Congress (INC) Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee-Assembly Elections – 2023: Abhya Hastham (Manifesto). 4. Telangana Rythu Bharosa 5. Telangana Yuva Vikasam Scheme 6. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/telangana-govt-releases-funds-for-key-schemes/article67637555.ece

Profile Dr. S. Vijay Kumar, Professor (Associate), HOD of Economics, KGC...

Behavioral Economics

Behavioral Economics is the study of psychology as it relates to the economic decision-making processes of individuals and institutions. Behavioral economics is often related with normative economics. It draws on psychology and economics to explore why people sometimes make irrational decisions, and why and how their behavior does not follow the predictions of economic models. KEY TAKEAWAYS Behavioral economics is the study of psychology that analyzes the decisions people make and why irrational choses are chosen. Behavior economics is influenced by bounded rationality, an architecture of choices, cognitive biases, and herd mentality. Behavior economics is crafted around many principles including framing, heuristics, loss aversion, and the sunk-cost fallacy. Companies use information from behavioral economics to price their goods, craft their commercials, and package their products. Starbucks' limited season drinks, Amazon's Lightning Deals, or "buy one, get one" promotions are all tied to behavioral economics. Understanding Behavioral Economics In an ideal world, people would always make optimal decisions that provide them with the greatest benefit and satisfaction. In economics, rational choice theory states that when humans are presented with various options under the conditions of scarcity, they would choose the option that maximizes their individual satisfaction. This theory assumes that people, given their preferences and constraints, are capable of making rational decisions by effectively weighing the costs and benefits of each option available to them. The final decision made will be the best choice for the individual. The rational person has self-control and is unmoved by emotions and external factors and, hence, knows what is best for himself. Alas behavioral economics explains that humans are not rational and are incapable of making good decisions. Because humans are emotional and easily distracted beings, they make decisions that are not in their self-interest. For example, according to the rational choice theory, if Charles wants to lose weight and is equipped with information about the number of calories available in each edible product, he will opt only for the food products with minimal calories. Behavioral economics states that even if Charles wants to lose weight and sets his mind on eating healthy food going forward, his end behavior will be subject to cognitive bias, emotions, and social influences. If a commercial on TV advertises a brand of ice cream at an attractive price and quotes that all human beings need 2,000 calories a day to function effectively after all, the mouth-watering ice cream image, price, and seemingly valid statistics may lead Charles to fall into the sweet temptation and fall off of the weight loss bandwagon, showing his lack of self-control. Thus, Behavioral economics combines elements of economics and psychology to understand how and why people behave the way they do in the real world. It differs from neoclassical economics, which assumes that most people have well-defined preferences and make well-informed, self-interested decisions based on those preferences. Shaped by the field-defining work of University of Chicago scholar and Nobel laureate Richard Thaler, behavioral economics examines the differences between what people “should” do and what they actually do and the consequences of those actions. Behavioral economics is grounded in empirical observations of human behavior, which have demonstrated that people do not always make what neoclassical economists consider the “rational” or “optimal” decision, even if they have the information and the tools available to do so. For example, why do gamblers often risk more after both winning and losing, even though the odds remain the same, regardless of “streaks”? By asking questions like these and identifying answers through experiments, the field of behavioral economics considers people as human beings who are subject to emotion and impulsivity, and who are influenced by their environments and circumstances. This characterization draws a contrast to traditional economic models that have treated people as purely rational actors—who have perfect self-control and never lose sight of their long-term goals—or as people who occasionally make random errors that cancel out in the long run. Several principles have emerged from behavioral economics research that have helped economists better understand human economic behavior. From these principles, governments and businesses have developed policy frameworks to encourage people to make particular choices. What are the origins of behavioral economics research: Behavioral economics has expanded since the 1980s, but it has a long history: According to Thaler, some important ideas in the field can be traced back to 18th-century Scottish economist Adam Smith. Smith is often remembered for the concept of an “invisible hand” that guides an overall economy to prosperity if each individual makes their own self-interested decisions—a key concept in classical and neoclassical economics. But he also recognized that people are often overconfident in their own abilities, more afraid of losing than they are eager to win and more likely to pursue short-term than long-term benefits. These ideas (overconfidence, loss aversion and self-control) are foundational concepts in behavioral economics today. More recently, behavioral economics has early roots in the work of Israeli psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman on uncertainty and risk. In the 1970s and ’80s, Tversky and Kahneman identified several consistent biases in the way people make judgments, finding that people often rely on easily recalled information, rather than actual data, when evaluating the likelihood of a particular outcome, a concept known as the “availability heuristic.” For example, people may think shark or bear attacks are a common cause of death if they’ve read about one such attack, but the incidents are actually very rare. With “prospect theory,” Tversky and Kahneman also demonstrated that framing and loss aversion influence the choices people make. For example, if presented with an opportunity to win Rs. 250 guaranteed or gamble on a 25% chance of winning Rs. 1,000 and a 75% chance of winning nothing, most people will choose the sure win. But if presented with the chance to lose Rs. 750 guaranteed or a 75% chance to lose Rs. 1,000 and a 25% chance to lose nothing, most people will risk losing Rs.1,000, hoping for the slim chance that they will lose nothing at all. This classic example demonstrates that people are more willing to take a greater statistical risk if it means avoiding a Rs. 1,000 loss versus obtaining a Rs. 1,000 win, which contradicts expected utility theory. Prospect theory and other work by Tversky and Kahneman continues to inform many areas of behavioral economics research today. In the 1980s, Richard Thaler began to build on the work of Tversky and Kahneman, with whom he collaborated extensively. Now the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the Booth School of Business, he is today considered a founder of the field of behavioral economics. Thaler’s research in identifying the factors that guide individuals’ economic decision-making earned him the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2017. His ideas stem in part from a series of observations he made in graduate school that led him to believe that people’s behavior deviated from traditional economic models in predictable ways. For example, Thaler observed that he and a friend were willing to forgo a drive to a sporting event due to a snowstorm because they had been given free tickets. But had they purchased the tickets themselves, they would have been more inclined to go, even though the tickets would have been valued at the same price regardless, and the danger of driving in the snowstorm unchanged. This is an example of the “sunk cost fallacy”—the idea that people are less willing to give up on projects they have personally invested in, even if it means more risk. Thaler is also known for popularizing the concept of the “nudge,” a conceptual device for leading people to make better decisions. A “nudge” takes advantage of human psychology and a number of other concepts in behavioral economics, including mental accounting—the idea that people treat money differently based on context. For example, people are more willing to drive across town to save Rs. 10 on a Rs. 20 purchase than Rs. 10 on a Rs. 1,000 purchase, even though the effort expended and the amount of money saved would be the same. Thaler and other UChicago economists—including Leonardo Bursztyn, Josh Dean, Nicholas Epley, Austan Goolsbee, Alex Imas, John List, Susan Mayer, Sendhil Mullainathan, Devin Pope, Rebecca Dizon Ross and Heather Sarsons—continue to conduct empirical research, including field experiments, that explore behavioral economics from multiple angles. What is a “nudge” in behavioral economics? In behavioral economics, a “nudge” is a way to manipulate people’s choices to lead them to make specific decisions: For example, putting fruit at eye level or near the cash register at a high school cafeteria is an example of a “nudge” to get students to choose healthier options. An essential aspect of nudges is that they are not coercive: Banning junk food is not a nudge, nor is punishing people for choosing unhealthy options. Thaler’s ideas about nudges were popularized in Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness, his 2008 book with former UChicago legal scholar Cass Sunstein, now of Harvard University. Businesses and governments, including the U.S. government under President Barack Obama, have adapted Thaler and Sunstein’s ideas about nudges into policy. The formal term Thaler and Sunstein use to describe a situation designed around nudges is “libertarian paternalism”—libertarian because it preserves choice, but paternalistic because it encourages certain behavior. In Thaler’s words: “If you want people to do something, make it easy.” Guide to behavioral economics terms The availability heuristic refers to the idea that people often rely on easily recalled information, rather than actual data, when evaluating the likelihood of a particular outcome. For example, people may think shark or bear attacks are a common cause of death if they’ve read about one such attack, but the incidents are actually very rare. Bounded rationality refers to the fact that people have limited cognitive ability, information and time, and do not always make the “correct” choice from an economist’s point of view, even if information is available that would point them toward a particular course of action. This might be because they cannot synthesize new information quickly; because they ignore it and instead choose to “go with their gut”; or because they don’t have the time to fully research all options. The term was coined in 1955 by Nobel laureate and UChicago alum Herbert A. Simon, AB’36, PhD’43. Bounded self-interest is the idea that people are often willing to choose a less-optimal outcome for themselves if it means they can support others. Giving to charity is an example of bounded self-interest, as is volunteering. While these are common activities, they are not captured by traditional economic models, which predict that people act mostly to further their own goals and those of their immediate family and friends, rather than strangers. Bounded willpower captures the idea that even given an understanding of the optimal choice, people will often still preferentially choose whatever brings the most short-term benefit over incremental progress toward a long-term goal. For example, even if we know that exercising may help us obtain our fitness goals, we may put it off indefinitely, saying we will “start tomorrow.” Loss aversion is the idea that people are more averse to losses than they are eager to make gains. For example, losing a Rs.100 bill might be more painful than finding a Rs.100 bill would be positive. Prospect theory refers to a series of empirical observations made by Kahneman and Tversky (1979) in which they asked people about how they would respond to certain hypothetical situations involving wins and losses, allowing them to characterize human economic behavior. Loss aversion is key to prospect theory. The sunk-cost fallacy is the idea that people will continue to invest in a losing project simply because they are already heavily invested, even if it means risking more losses. Mental accounting is the idea that people think about money differently depending on the circumstances. For example, if the price of gas goes down, they may begin to buy premium gas, leading them to ultimately spend the same amount, rather than taking advantage of the savings offered by the lower price.

Curriculum Vitae:Updated As on 22/09/2023

Vijay Kumar Sarabu, Ph.D., Head & Professor (Associate) of Economics (Retd.) KGC (NAAC “A” Grade College), Hanamkonda Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana State Research Achievements: Research Experience: More than 3 decades Published more than 200 Research Papers in International & National Journals and in Research Sites: ResearchGate, Academia. Edu & Google Scholar. More than 100 Citations to my Papers. Total Reads in ResearchGate: 7,17,515 ResearchGate Citations: 60, (h-index 4, Research Interest Score: 849.3) Total Articles Published in RG: 118 Google Scholar Citations: 76 (h-index 5, i10 index 3) Total Articles Published in Google Scholars: 38 Total Viewers in Academia.Edu: 21,438 Followers in Academia.Edu: 576 Published Articles in more than 12 Books. Awards: International Scientist Award - Lifetime Achievement Award, 2020 (VD Good International). International Distinguished Professor Award 2023 in Economics. Indo Asian – Milton Friedman Distinguished Innovative Faculty Award in Economics. Bharat Jyoti Award – Glory of India (IIFS, New Delhi). Shining Star of India (Economic Growth Foundation, New Delhi). International Gold Star Millennium Award (Citizens Integration Peace Society, New Delhi). Indian Status Award For Intellectual People & Gold Medal (Friendship Forum, New Delhi). Bharat Excellence Award (Friendship Forum, New Delhi). Bharat Shiksha Award (Friendship Forum, New Delhi). Other Awards Selected By IIFS, New Delhi: Indira Gandhi Excellence Award, Mahatma Gandhi Ekta Award, Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Excellence Award, Mahatma Gandhi Excellence Award, Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, Mahatma Gandhi Ekta Samman Award. Reviewer: Peer Review Committee Member for various International & National Journals (IJESBS – International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business & Indian Journal of Economics and Other Journals). Click the following Links for my Web Sites: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LqGlv3QAAAAJ&hl=en https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vijay-Sarabu https://independent.academia.edu/VSarabu https://www.slideshare.net/vijaykumarsarabu My Blog Addresses: www.vijaysvision.blogspot.com www.innovations.blogspot.com www.vijaysvision.wordpress.com Countries Visited: USA Member Board of Studies Kakatiya University, Warangal Member Research Committee Member Resource Committee Course Coordinator for Economics Research Project Completed: (01) MRP Sanctioned by UGC (SERO), Hyderabad. Credentials: Appreciation from National Assessment Accreditation Council (NAAC, Bangalore, India ) – “Commendable Service rendered by the Faculty – Dr. S. Vijay Kumar”. Ex-Member of Board of Studies (Economics), Kakatiya University, Warangal – TS (India). Passed Departmental Tests conducted by APPSC (Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission). Selected as Reader (Associate Professor) in Economics Through APPSC. All India Radio Talks & Mana TV Lesson: More than 25 Talks & Mana TV 1 Testimonials From: Best College Teacher - Researcher & Analyst (Prof. S. Kishan Rao, HOD – Economics – OU, Hyderabad – Telangana – India). Best College Teacher - Researcher & Analyst (Prof. N. Linga Murthy, VC & HOD – Economics – KU, Warangal – Telangana – India). Conferences & Other: National & International Conferences Attended & Presented Papers: All Over India More than 50. Work Shops: More than 5 Guest Lectures Delivered in Universities & Colleges: More than 50 YouTube Videos on Different Topics: More than 75

Welfare Schemes and Programmes in Telangana State – A Critical Analysis

CV of Dr. S. Vijay Kumar, Associate Professor & HOD of Economics (Retire...

Welfare Schemes and Programmes in Telangana State – A Critical Analysis

-*Dr. S. Vijay Kumar ABSTRACT Telangana Government is implementing several Welfare Schemes such as Rythu Bandhu, Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak to provide financial assistance to farmers, women, and families. Additionally, Schemes like Mission Bhagiratha and Haritha Haram aim to provide access to clean drinking water and promote afforestation respectively. These Schemes had a significant impact on the lives of marginalized communities and helping to reduce poverty, improve access to education and healthcare, and enhancing the livelihoods of the rural population. There are several challenges that need to be addressed by the Telangana Government for the better implementation of the said Welfare Schemes and Programmes. Key words: Welfare Schemes and Programmes, Review of Literature, Critical Analysis, Policy Recommendations. State protects and promotes the economic and social wellbeing of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunities and equitable distribution of wealth. Early features of the welfare state, such as public pensions and social insurance, developed from the 1880s onwards in industrializing Western countries. World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II have been characterized as important events that ushered in expansions of the welfare state. The fullest forms of the welfare state were developed after World War II. Social welfare encompasses help provided to persons in need. Activities and resources have to be enhanced to promote the well-being of individuals and families. Larger the society, broad efforts should be made to eliminate or reduce the incidence of social problems. Since, the inception of the independence of India our policymakers have professed to promote equitable economic development in the country. This has involved in balancing economic growth with reduction in the acceleration of inequality and augmented social protection of the poor. The nomenclature for this growth strategy has been changed and, in its current version, it is called “inclusive growth”. Such a strategy has been enshrined in a number of official documents including the 12th Five Year Plan. Both high economic growth and effectively functioning welfare schemes are central to the agenda of inclusive economic growth. Indeed, there is a symbiotic relationship between the two. High economic growth both pulls up people from below the poverty line and generates additional resources for financing welfare schemes and thus provides social protection. Welfare schemes protect the poor and disadvantaged and equip the labor force to better participate in the process of accelerating economic growth. In this Paper, I have tried my level best to critically evaluate and present a broad overview of the Welfare Schemes and Progrmmes in Telangana State. Review of Literature: Broadly speaking welfare means, efforts to provide a basic level of well-being through subsidized social services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, vocational training, and public housing. In a Welfare State, the State assumes the responsibility for providing health, education, and infrastructure to the public. In the Roman Empire, the first emperor Augustus provided the Cura Annonae or grain dole for citizens who could not afford to buy food every month. Social welfare was enlarged by the Emperor Trajan. Trajan's program brought acclaim from many, including Pliny the Younger. Other provisions for the poor were introduced during the history of Ancient Rome. In the medieval period and until the Industrial Revolution, the function of welfare payments in Europe was achieved through private giving or charity, through numerous confraternities and activities of different religious orders. Early welfare programs in Europe included the English Poor Law of 1601, which gave parishes the responsibility for providing welfare payments to the poor. This system was substantially modified by the 19th-century Poor Law Amendment Act, which introduced the system of workhouses. It was predominantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that an organized system of state welfare provision was introduced in many countries. Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany, introduced one of the first welfare systems for the working classes. In Great Britain the Liberal government of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and David Lloyd George introduced the National Insurance system in 1911, a system later expanded by Clement Attlee. Modern welfare states include Germany, France, the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic countries, such as Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland which employ a system known as the Nordic model. Esping-Andersen classified the most developed welfare state systems into three categories; Social Democratic, Conservative, and Liberal. A report published by the ILO in 2014 estimated only 27% of the world population has access to comprehensive social security. The World Bank's 2019 World Development Report argues that the traditional payroll-based model of many kinds of social insurance are "increasingly challenged by working arrangements outside standard employment contracts". While Amartya Sen has stressed State-led social welfare schemes to tackle India’s developmental issues, others like Bhagwati argues that focusing on economic growth is important so that enough resources are available for social welfare programs. In his view, inequality may rise with economic growth initially, but sustained growth will eventually also sustain the social benefit programs to redistribute and mitigate the effects of the initial inequality. Sen believes that India should invest more in its social infrastructures like health and education to improve human capabilities that will push economic development. In his opinion, without such efforts, inequality widens which ultimately hampers the process of economic development. China as a poor country with more population has expanded the basic needs, education, health care and infrastructure and now emerged as a global leader. The Directive Principles of India, enshrined in part IV of the Indian Constitution, reflect that India is a welfare state. The National Food Security Act, 2013 aims to guarantee right to food to all citizens. The welfare system was fragmented until the passing of The Code on Social Security, 2020, which standardized most of the programmes. The Government of India's social programmes and welfare expenditures are a substantial portion of the official budget, and state and local governments play roles in developing and implementing social security policies. The government uses the Aadhaar system to distribute welfare measures in India. Some of the social programmes undertaken by the government are: Direct cash transfers, Financial inclusion of all individuals, Statutory insurances, Free school meals, Rural employment guarantee, Various subsidies & benefits, Pensions & provident funds. As of 2023, the government's expenditure on social programme and welfare is approximately Rs 21.3 lakh crore (US$270 billion), which is 8.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). Over the past decade, the Telangana government has allocated nearly Rs. 5 lakh crores for various welfare schemes, including Aasra pensions and others. These initiatives have provided financial security and enhanced the self-esteem of the underprivileged sections of society. Notably, farmers have received crop investment assistance, effectively addressing their economic difficulties. After numerous agitations and sacrifices, the Telangana State was achieved in a democratic manner on June 2, 2014 as 29th State of India. At the time of Telangana formation, according to Jayaprakash Narayan Ex-IAS Officer (Ex- Lok Satta MLA), famously known as JP, Hyderabad alone had a government surplus of Rs. 13,000 crore per year. When Telangana State was formed in 2014, the then State Finance Minister Eatela Rajender presented the state’s maiden budget with a proposed expenditure of Rs 1,00,637 crore with a surplus of Rs. 301 crore. As on 2nd June, 2014, when Telangana State was formed, it had an outstanding public debt of Rs. 75,577 Crore. In the first year of its formation, the state had resorted to the public borrowing of Rs.8,121 crore from several sources. Every year, the state continued to borrow loans, resulting in mounting public debt. Telangana’s outstanding public debts are set to touch Rs 3.57 lakh crore in 2023-24, a jump of about 11 per cent over the previous year while the overall debt burden, including loans taken by state public sector enterprises, has reached Rs 4.33 lakh crore. Thus, Telangana State failed badly to manage debts under FRBM Act. On the eve of independence day (15/08/2023), Telangana government for its political mileage waived crop loans of 90,283 farmers having debts up to Rs 99,999 to gain votes in the coming State Elections. Thus, the government itself encouraging the farmers to become debt defaulters. The farmers who sincerely repaid their loans regularly to the banks are losing and the farmers who intensely not repaid got benefitted. Actually, the Government’s basic duty is to provide all with the basic needs like education up to Intermediate (12th Class), medical and health, safe drinking water, good roads and homes to the economically weaker sections and employment opportunities. Forgetting this, today Governments are implementing some unnecessary welfare schemes for the sake of votes. Due to this, Telangana Government is not in a position to pay salaries and pensions on 1st every month. They are paid mostly either in the second or third week of every month. Now, Telangana Government is scrambling for funds to implement Welfare Schemes. In my opinion, any Welfare Scheme must support the livelihood and elevate his/her economic status but should not make him/her as slave. In fact, the present Governments are making their citizens as slaves and using them as their vote bank at the cost of State (Public) Exchequer. Thus, wasting tax payers money. In this context, I would like to remind our Central and State Governments to learn and must follow from this Chinese proverb – “Don’t give fishes freely to the public but should train them how to fish”. That is to say, not to give anything freely but make them self-sufficient and earn their livelihood themselves without depending on the government. Critical Analysis of Various Welfare Schemes and Programmes of Telangana State: Rythu Bandhu Scheme: • This is a first direct farmer investment support scheme in India paid directly. The scheme was announced on 25 February 2018 and was introduced from 2018-19 Kharif (Rainy) Season. • Each farmer gets Rs. 5,000 per acre per crop season without any ceiling on the number of acres held. • The grant helps them cover expenses on input requirements such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and labour. • Maximum Rythu Bandhu beneficiaries are between 1 and 5 acres. • Rs. 1,295 Crore goes to Small land with 2-3 acres. • Rs. 1,144 Crore spent on those with 3-4 acres. • The total farming land is 1.43 crore acres and the number of farmers in the state stood at 58.33 lakh. Around 55% of population in Telangana make a living from agriculture. • In 2018, there were nearly 50.25 lakh beneficiaries. In the latest round of disbursal, nearly 70.54 lakh farmers received investment support. The government has set aside nearly Rs.15,075 crore in the 2023 Budget for the Rythu Bandhu implementation. • There are roughly 13,000 farmers who have land between 20 and 40 acres collectively owning more than 3.19 lakh acres. • Its biggest lacuna is that it excludes tenant farmers that take land on lease for cultivation, comprising over a third of Telangana’s farming population. The agriculture land holdings are: Land Extent No. of farmers Total Acres Est. Cost % under 1 acre 18 lakhs 18 lakhs 14.4 billion As of 16 February 2020, 30.8% under 1-2 acres 24 lakhs 48 lakhs 38.4 billion 41.9% under 3-5 acres 11 lakhs 44 lakhs (avg) 35.2 billion 18.8% 5-10 acres 4.4 lakhs 33 lakhs (avg) 26.4 billion 7.5% > 10 acres 94,000 9.4 lakhs 7.52 billion 1.6% > 25 acres 6488 1.62 lakhs 1.3 billion 0.1% > 50 acres 298 14900 119 million 0.005% Critical Analysis: From the above table, it is clearly evident that small and marginal farmers (Up to 5 acres) are more in number and possessing less land. Contrast to this, big farmers (above 5 acres) are less in number and possessing more land. As there is no upper limit on the land to claim Rythu Bandhu, more money is grabbed by big farmers. According to one estimate in Telangana State 90,449 big farmers alone are possessing 14,73,955 acres of land. In 2022 these big farmers claimed Rs.1473 crore, 95 lakhs and 50,000 as Rythu Bandhu @ Rs. 10,000 per acre. Rich farmers were requested not to use this Scheme, but nobody cared for this request. If, the rich farmers forgo Rythu Bandhu, the money goes to the corpus of Rythu Samanvaya Samithi. The scheme pays all land owners regardless of their personal income and wealth. Much of the opposition to the scheme is directed towards payments to rich land owners. Many wealthy individuals such as government officials, doctors and businessmen etc. are known to own large tracts of farmlands. According to the government's estimates about 319 crores is paid annually to farmers who own more than 20 acers. In addition, as this scheme pays only to the land owners and not the tillers, money goes to the Pattadar, even if they are not farming. Oftentimes rich land owners lease their lands to poor farmers for cultivation. In recent times the practice of land leasing is increasing substantially due to scarcity of farm labor. Rich land owners unwilling to do the hard work are leasing their lands to hardworking poor tillers. However, the tillers don't get any benefit from the scheme, defeating its purpose. Besides, the scheme is known to pay for lands that are not in cultivation such as lands converted for real estate or other commercial purposes. Recently, in June 2023 Telangana Government announced that 5 lakh ryots including 1.5 lakh podu farmers to get Rs. 5,000 per acre support for the first time this season. About 70 lakh farmers with a landholding of over 1.54 crore acres are expected to get an amount of Rs 7,720.29 crore in the direct benefit transfer method. As per the latest report, over 57 lakh farmers benefiting from Rythu Bandhu. Nalgonda district is the largest beneficiary of the scheme with about 4.32 lakh farmers cultivating about 10.74 lakh acres. In Brahmanapalle village in Nalgonda district (Bibi Nagar Mandal) for instance, there are farmers who have received less than Rs.3,000 a crop season and there are others who have received nearly Rs.2.5 lakh under the same scheme. “Nobody is questioning the motive behind giving money to the marginal and small farmers, but “It is only questionable when public money is given to the big farmers. There is lot of public demand to put a cap on the acreage so that the largest portion of public spending goes to small and marginal farmers.” Despite years of opposition, the BRS-led Telangana government has not agreed to this. Banks use Rythu Bandhu cash to clear farm loans: Banks are apprehensive about their dues, as there is no clarity on the loan waver in case another political party takes the state’s reins. Therefore, with Assembly elections ahead, banks are ramping up measures to recover loan arrears. As per state government data, the state had 70 lakh farmers of whom 47,86,161 are marginal farmers (less than 2.47 acres each), 11,50,339 are small farmers (2.48-4.94 acres), 4,73,387 are semi-medium farmers (4.95-9.88 acres), 84,558 are medium farmers (9.89-24.75 acres) and 5,861 are large farmers holding over 24.76 acres each. 40.66 lakh farmers had borrowed farm loans of at least Rs 1 lakh, amounting to Rs 25,936 crore for the promised waiver. It was later found that 3.98 lakh farmers had availed of multiple loans on family member’s names and these names were duly deleted. The final report stated that 36.68 lakh farmers took loans worth Rs 19,198 crore were eligible for crop loan waivers. However, the state government has waived loans of only 5.66 lakh farmers, amounting to Rs 1,207 crore. Over 31 lakh farmers (who availed of loans of Rs 37,000- Rs 1 lakh) are still awaiting relief. Rythu Bheema: The main objective of the Farmers Group Life Insurance Scheme (Rythu Bheema), is to provide financial relief and social security to the family members/ dependents, in case of loss of farmer’s life due to any reason. In the event of the loss of the farmer life, their families are facing severe financial problems even for their day-to-day needs. Farmers in the age group of 18 to 59 years are eligible for enroll under the scheme. In the event of the death of the enrolled farmer due to any cause including natural death, the insured amount of Rs. 5.00 Lakhs is deposited into the designated nominee account within (10) days. Nearly, 30.72 lakh of 57.81 lakh farmers in the State enrolled under Rythu Bima scheme for the 2019-20 financial year. The State government paid premium amounting to Rs 1,775.95 crore for 2018-19 and 2019-20 to LIC for implementing the scheme. So far, about 36,897 claims have been settled benefiting the bereaved families who have received total Rs 1,844 crore. About 52.3 per cent of farmers whose claims were settled were aged between 49-59 years, while 32.6 per cent belong to the age group of 39 and 48 years. Critical Analysis: Though, this is a good Scheme, but the farmers will get benefit only after their death. Hence, in my opinion farmers must also get “Crop Insurance Scheme” benefit in the event of all crop losses due to natural calamities. Dalit Bandu: The objective of this Scheme is to provide one time capital assistance @ Rs.10.00 lakhs per Schedule Caast family for all eligible SC families as 100% grant / subsidy to start their own businesses or entrepreneurial ventures, thereby creating opportunities for them to become self-reliant and improve their standard of living. This Scheme is introduced as a part of multi-pronged approach with a different new initiative and strategy in addition to the existing Schemes like food security, education and social security. This scheme is introduced to the reduce poverty and promote entrepreneurship among the SC community, which has historically been marginalized and faced discrimination in society. The scheme is also expected to promote inclusive growth and social development in the State. The Telangana government has allocated Rs. 1,200 crore for the implementation of this Scheme. The total number of beneficiaries of scheme are 20,929 Dalit families. Eligibility criteria of the Scheme: • The scheme is applicable only to families belonging to the SC community. • The applicant must be a resident of Telangana. • The family should have an annual income of less than Rs. 2.5 lakh. • The family should not own more than 3 acres of agricultural land or more than one residential house. • The applicant should not have availed himself of any other government loan or subsidy. • The applicant should have a viable business plan or entrepreneurial idea that can be supported by the grant. • The applicant should be willing to contribute 10% of the project cost. • The applicant should have a bank account. • The applicant should have a digital identity, such as an Aadhaar card. • The applicant should be between the ages of 25 and 50. • The applicant should have passed at least the 10th standard. • The applicant should not have a criminal record or have been convicted of a crime. Critical Analysis: This Scheme aims to cover 70 lakh SC families in the State with an estimated budget of Rs. 1.7 Lakh Crore. Unsurprisingly, the scheme is causing friction between Dalit groups and upper caste groups owing to the changing social dynamics. It is advised that this Scheme should also be extended to all other economically backward communities. It’s worth noting that there is no online application process for the Dalit Bandhu scheme, and the application acceptance is limited to offline submissions. Corruption in Dalit Bandhu selection process deprives those who genuinely qualify. Critics allege that some leaders are demanding hefty sums, ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, from the beneficiaries for securing their selection. Some are saying that “Under the name of Dalita Bandhu, BRS party is cheating the Dalits. BRS MLAs are openly saying in meetings that they will give Dalit Bandhu Scheme’s Rs. 10 lakhs only to those who vote to their party”. Extension of Dalit Bandhu Scheme to State Government employees and Retired persons evokes criticism, people say that this is nothing but purely a political motive to gain votes even though this is not possible to implement practically. People question that the government employees’ service rules say - the employee should not take up any business activities while in service and more over their incomes are high to meet the eligibility criteria for this Scheme. Then how would the government give financial assistance of Rs 10 lakhs to the government employees for taking up other business activities? Whether the government employees should do business or government jobs. “If the government was really concerned about the upliftment of the Dalits, then it should provide employment to the unemployed youth or provide them training in self-employment skills before launching the scheme”. KCR Kit: The primary objective of this Scheme is to encourage pregnant women deliveries in government hospitals and improve Mother and Child Health (MCH) services. Through this Scheme, State Government is also aiming to bring down the Mother and Infant Mortality Rates. This Scheme is meant for pregnant women for maximum two deliveries. Women who give birth in a government hospital can utilize this scheme. The main aim of this Scheme is to provide all the necessary items for a pregnant women and the newborn baby. Under this scheme, a pregnant women will be provided with a financial assistance of Rs. 12,000 in three phases. In case of a baby girl, an additional Rs. 1,000/- will be given to encourage girl child births. KCR Kit contains a Baby oil, Soaps useful for mother and child, a Mosquito net, Napkins and a Baby bed etc. KCR Kit scheme benefits are being extended to Chenchu, Kolam and Konda Reddy Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) without the upper limit of two children per family. Since the launch of the scheme in 2017, the State Government has spent over Rs.1,176 crore towards effective implementation and 13,29,951 people have benefited. Further, Rs.243 crore was spent towards distribution of 11,82,014 KCR Kits so far. Critical Analysis: There is a criticism that more than 5,000 auxiliary nurse midwives tracking pregnant women, childbirth and immunization schedules in Telangana have not been paid for their dues by the Telangana government for the last four years, who are really the back bone for the implementation of this Scheme. Telangana Health department officials have all reasons to be extremely worried in the wake of a US court ordering global pharma giant Johnson & Johnson to pay a huge compensation of $4.69 billion to 22 women and their families who had claimed that asbestos in company’s talcum powder caused them to develop ovarian cancer. Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak: To prevent child marriages and alleviate financial distress among SC/ST and minority families, Government decided to sanction a one-time financial assistance of Rs. 1,00,116 at the time of marriage for brides who are residents of Telangana State. Accordingly, Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadhi Mubarak Schemes have been introduced with effect from October 2, 2014 for unmarried girls, who have completed 18 years of age at the time of marriage and whose parental income does not exceed Rs. 2 lakh per annum. Critical Analysis: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad in a recent Study on Kalyan Lakshmi and Shaadhi Mubarak has revealed that due to lack of literacy, poor access to government machinery, excessive dependence on middle-men, caste equations, digital backwardness, inefficient promotion of these schemes and basic biases against the SC/ST communities are some of the many factors failed to create substantial impact on these communities. There is a wide spread criticism among some sections of the society that these Schemes like Kalyan Lakshmi and Shaadhi Mubarak makes people lazy and not realizing their responsibilities as parents. Instead of such Schemes for votes sake, they say that Government must educate the people, so that they can become responsible citizens of the country. Aasara Pensions : This Scheme was started on 8/11/2014. As a part of its welfare measures and social safety net strategy, the Telangana government has introduced the “ Aasara ” pensions, with a view to ensure secured life with dignity for all the poor. ‘Aasara’ pension scheme is meant to protect the most vulnerable sections of society in particular the old and infirm, people with HIV-AIDS, widows, incapacitated weavers and toddy tappers, who have lost their means of livelihood with growing age, in order to support their day to day minimum needs required to lead a life of dignity and social security. The Telangana Government enhanced the monthly pension from Rs. 200 to Rs. 1000 for the old aged, widows, weavers, toddy tappers and AIDS patients and Rs. 500 to Rs. 1500 for disabled persons. Aasara pensions were increased from Rs.1,000 in November 2014 to Rs. 2,016 in April 2019 to senior citizens, widows, beedi workers, filaria victims, single women, handloom weavers, toddy tappers and AIDS victims, and Rs. 3,016 for disabled pensions. Further, the BRS Government reduced the age limit from 65 years in 2014 to 57 years in August 2022, accordingly the total number of pensioners under the scheme increased to 45.80 lakh. In tune with the reduction of age limit, the State Government has increased the monthly allocation of funds to Rs 975 crore. Towards implementation of this Scheme, the State Government is spending over Rs 12,000 crore annually. Critical Analysis: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced the enhancement of Aasara pensions for the physically challenged from 3,016 per month to 4,016 per month. This raised hopes among other categories of Aasara beneficiaries, but there has been no word from the government on this issue. Telangana Government is facing financial crisis and not able to pay Aasara Pensions regularly as it requires over Rs 800 Crore per month. Double Bedroom Housing Scheme and Telangana Gruha Lakshmi: This Scheme was announced in May, 2014. Government of Telangana have formulated the double bed room housing scheme in the month of October 2015 with a view to provide dignity living to the poor by providing 100% subsidized housing. There is no beneficiary contribution under this scheme. In rural areas, beneficiaries solely depend on seasonal conditions for their earnings, the 2BHK housing helped in protecting them from debt traps as was the case in the past. Hitherto to the old yardstick was to provide a 260 Sq. ft house with a single room; The "Double Bedroom Housing" provides two bedrooms, hall, kitchen and two toilets covering 560 Sq. ft plinth area. The plot area is 125 Sq yards for an independent house in rural area and worked out to 36 Sq yards of undivided land share in G++ pattern houses in urban areas. Land is thus provided free of cost apart from the cost of the dwelling unit. The details of unit cost are shown below: (in Rs) Sl.No. Area Unit cost with Infra Unit cost without Infra House Infra Total 1 Rural 5,04,000 1,25,000 6,29,000 5,04,000 2 Urban 5,30,000 75,000 6,05,000 5,30,000 3 GHMC up to G+3 7,00,000 75,000 7,75,000 7,00,000 GHMC C+S+9 7,90,000 75,000 8,65,000 7,90,000 Target Groups: Rural: SC/ST: 50%, Minorities: 7% and balance 43% for others. Urban: SC: 17%, ST: 6%, Minorities: 12% and balance 65% for others. The pilot project for double bedroom houses was built at Erravalli on 5th March 2016. The scheme aims to make the city of Hyderabad a slum -free city. The house cannot be sold but can only be passed on as inheritance to the next generation of the family. The cost was estimated in the manifesto in 2014 to be Rs 3.5 lakhs per house but escalated to Rs 7.5 lakhs by 2017 due to design upgrades and increases in material costs. An additional Rs 1.25 lakhs per house goes for amenities, roads etc. The state government also launched a new scheme “Telangana Gruha Lakshmi” providing a one-time grant of Rs 3 lakh to the SC, ST and OBC beneficiaries who have a piece of land but cannot afford to construct houses. The Gruha Lakshmi Scheme was aimed at benefitting 3,000 families in each of the 119 assembly constituencies. For the execution of this project, the government would invest Rs 12,000 crore, which will result in the building of 4 lakh homes. Critical Analysis: People in several areas tried to occupy these houses by breaking the locks due to inordinate delay to allot to the beneficiaries. Though, these houses were ready to occupy were not distributed to take political mileage (to gain votes in the coming elections). Moreover, there is a wide spread criticism that lot of corruption took place in the construction quality and also in the allotment of houses to the beneficiaries. Mission Bhagiratha : Under the Telangana Drinking Water Supply Project, a mammoth 1.30 lakh km stretch of pipelines would be laid to quench the thirst of Telangana towns and villages apart from providing water for the industrial needs. For this project, surface water of perennial rivers and major reservoirs would be utilized as a raw water source. Taken up with an estimated cost of Rs 35,000 crore, Mission Bhagiratha is intended to ensure that no female member of a household would need to walk miles to carry a pot of water. Under this flagship programme, it is conceived to provide 100 liters per capita per day (LPCD) treated and piped water to every household in rural areas,135 LPCD in municipalities and 150 LPCD in municipal corporations. In this Scheme 98% of transmission & distribution systems function by gravity. Criticism: Congress opposition leader Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka said nearly Rs. 42,000 crores were spent in the name of Mission Bhagiratha claiming that the Scheme would provide drinking water to all households in the State. However, he said that the Scheme proved to be a major scam as a majority of houses are not getting water. Citing examples, he said in Dasnapur Andugoda people were forced to manually draw water from wells. However, he said tanks were constructed for the namesake only to raise the bills. There are several complaints that Mission Bhagiratha pipe lines are frequently broken and there is lot of wastage of water. Mission Kakatiya: A flagship programme of government aimed at restoring around 46,000 tanks in five years to provide irrigation source to about 25 lakh acres spending Rs 22,000 crore. As of February, 2017, restoration work has been started for nearly 20,000 tanks and works have been completed for about 5,000 tanks. Government of Telangana has sanctioned more than Rs. 4,600 crore for this initiative in 2015-16 and 2016-17 budgets. As part of the Mission, activities like debilitation, repairing damaged sluices and weirs, restoring dilapidated tank bunds, stone revetments and plugging seepages are carried out. Mission Kakatiya is aimed at improving the ground water table, reducing the power consumption by farm sector, getting higher yields, spurring the growth of livestock and rejuvenating rural economy on a whole. As per the ICRISAT Study, application of silt on farm fields resulted in savings ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,750 on fertilizers and pesticides. And the yield of cotton increased by 1,000 kgs per hectare. Critical Analysis: The state government’s flagship programme, Mission Kakatiya, has failed to achieve the targets in the first three phases, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has reported. According to CAG observations, the target for phase-1 was unrealistic. There were delays in completion of phase-1 works ranging from 20 to 549 days. Consequently, progress in phase-2 and phase-3 of the Mission Kakatiya was low with 14 and zero per cent respectively. Removal of silt was one of the main components of Mission Kakatiya, but there was an average shortfall of 33 per cent in the removal of silt in 27 test-checked tanks. Prioritization of works was not in accordance with the guidelines. Haritha Haram : This program was launched on 3 July 2015. It is one of the Telangana Flagship programmes to rejuvenate degraded forests, protecting these forests from threats such as smuggling, encroachment, fire and grazing. It adopted intensive soil and moisture conservation measures based on a watershed approach. Through this programme, Telangana Government envisages to increase the present 24% tree cover in the State to 33% of the total geographical area of the State. The thrust areas to achieve the above are two- fold; one, initiatives in notified forest areas, and the other, initiatives in areas outside the notified forest areas. Critical Analysis: Agriculture experts and those closely working with the Haritha Haram Programme have voiced concerns over the quality of seedlings being used as they are premature and would not be able to withstand the climatic conditions and will perish in the heat and rains. It is criticized by many people that most of saplings are useless and may cause parthenium disease. Most of the saplings are not provided with tree guards. Hence they were eaten by goats and thus cores of rupees public money is being wasted. Land distribution to Dalits : Another significant welfare scheme of the government that provides 3 acres of agricultural land to landless SC women, along with the provision for creation of irrigation facilities, land development and other agricultural inputs for their sustained livelihood. Government distributed 2,524 acres of land to 959 Dalits spending Rs 94 crore in the first year. During the nine year period , Government acquired 17,097.09 acres and distributed to 6,998 eligible beneficiaries under 3 acres land to SCs schemes. Critical Analysis: Telangana Government took “U Turn” regarding the distribution of 3 acres of agricultural land to Dalits. The TRS never promised to give three acres to poor Dalit families in the state, chief minister K. Chandra Shekar Rao said on the floor of the assembly. The CM also said there was not much land available anymore to distribute. What the TRS had said in the past was that Dalits would be given the minimum required agricultural land to provide for their families, the CM said. For example, if a Dalit family had two acres, the government would give one more acre. Mana Ooru - Mana Badi : ‘This Programme aimed at all round development and creation of effective infrastructure in schools across the State by setting up digital classrooms, constructing additional classrooms and taking up repairs to schools to benefit 19.84 lakh children of 26,065 schools in the state of Telangana. The programme launched on 8th March 2022. Critical Analysis: As per the statistics available, there are around 26,065 government schools in Telangana run by local bodies that cater to 19,84,000 students. The MO-MB scheme is aimed at providing basic infrastructure in order to improve attendance and retention of students in government schools. A decision has also been taken to introduce digital education gradually. This flagship programme is ambitious but blind to the fundamental problems in the sector. The fact is that most of the schools do not have regular teachers. It is atrocious that these schools do not have cleaning staff. They also do not have watchmen and as a result schools have been used for anti-social activities. The allocation to education from the state budget has sharply fallen from 11 percent in 2014 to six percent in 2022. All of this indicates that making promises, appointing committees and then deceiving people had been the practice all these years. There are around 29,952 government-run schools in the state out of which 26,065 are under local bodies. According to a 2021 UNESCO report, 72% of rural schools are single-teacher schools. The sorry state of many such schools was revealed during the ‘Badi Nidra’ (night stay at schools) programme, an activity undertaken by a civil society organization called the Social Democratic Forum (SDF) to understand infrastructure woes of schools. The SDF visited a total of 40 schools as part of the programme. In some schools, they found it did not have water connectivity. It also lacked a compound wall. In some schools there are no toilets. In some schools though there are toilets but there at a distance, they could not be used due to non-availability of water. Some primary school offering classes from Grade I to Grade V, but only had one teacher and one class room. A primary school having five grades is expected to have at least five teachers and five classrooms. The survey conducted by Telangana Save Education Committee also showed many schools lacked basic infrastructure. As per the government plan, the scheme will be implemented in three phases in three years. The first phase began in the 2021-2022 academic year. Only schools which have a high number of students have been selected. A total of 9,123 schools have been selected in the first phase of this programme. It means that schools located in Dalit colonies, tribal settlements and remote villages cannot be selected as student strength in schools here is low. This could mean that around 18,766 single-teacher village schools will not be part of the MO-MB programme. Another shocking fact emerged during a field study conducted by SDF. It revealed that the work under MO-MB has started only in 1,000 schools instead of the promised 9,123 schools and the money released was not even 10 percent of the promised amount. All the above said Welfare Schemes and Programmes implemented by the Telangana Government are good, but there are certain loopholes as mentioned by me under the critical analysis of each Scheme. Hence, I suggest some “Policy Recommendations” to implement them with the letter spirit. Policy Recommendations: 1. In recent times the practice of land leasing is increasing substantially due to scarcity of farm labor. Rich land owners unwilling to do the hard work are leasing their lands to hardworking poor tillers. However, the tillers don't get any benefit from the scheme, defeating its purpose. Besides, the Rythu Bandhu Scheme is known to pay for lands that are not in cultivation such as lands converted for real estate or other commercial purposes. There are roughly 13,000 farmers who have land between 20 and 40 acres collectively owning more than 3.19 lakh acres. Its biggest lacuna is that it excludes tenant farmers that take land on lease for cultivation, comprising over a third of Telangana’s farming population. Chief Minister Rao remarking that the scheme “is not tenant Bandhu,” and that there is neither a legal rationale for offering support nor official government records that recognize tenant farmers. This is a double blow to (Tenant Farmers) a population that bears the highest burden of agricultural distress. According to a recent Tata Institute of Social Sciences Survey (TISS) of almost 700 Telangana families, 75 percent of farmer suicides in the past four years were by tenant cultivators. In view of the above said facts, the present Rythu Bandhu Scheme should be reoriented. First, identifying the tenant farmers and including them in Rythu Bandhu Scheme. One possibility involves using the possession of Loan Eligibility Cards (LECs) issued under the Land Licensed Cultivators Act of 2011 that entitled tenants to credit, insurance, and subsidies, as an eligibility criterion for receiving benefits, and combining this with Rythu Bandhu Scheme could benefit tenant farmers. Second, allowing only Small and Marginal Farmers for Rythu Bandhu Scheme by keeping a ceiling and thereby preventing the rich farmers from using this Scheme. 2. Rythu Bheema is a good scheme, but the farmers will get benefit only after their death. Hence, I recommend farmers must also get “Crop Insurance Scheme” benefit in the event of all crop losses due to natural calamities. 3. Due to some unnecessary Welfare Schemes and Programmes for the sake of votes like Rythu Bandhu for rich people and due to wastage and corruption in the implementation, the Telangana once a surplus state is scrambling for funds and not in a position to pay salaries and pensions on 1st every month. They are paid mostly either in the second or third week of every month. Hence, it is recommended to revamp and reorient all the existing welfare schemes and programmes and to stick to strict financial discipline. 4. Limiting Dalit Bandhu to SCs, unsurprisingly this scheme is causing friction between Dalit groups and upper caste groups owing to the changing social dynamics. It is advised that this Scheme should also be extended to all other eligible economically backward communities. It’s worth noting that there is no online application process for the Dalit Bandhu scheme, and the application acceptance is limited to offline submissions, hence there is a scope for corruption. Corruption in Dalit Bandhu selection process deprives those who genuinely qualify. Critics allege that some leaders are demanding bribes for the selection of candidates for this Scheme. Hence, it is advised that this Scheme should be free from corruption and extended to all other eligible economically backward communities. 5. As there is a criticism that more than 5,000 auxiliary nurse midwives have not been paid their dues for their services since some years, who are really the back bone for the implementation KCR Kit Scheme should be paid and to implement this Scheme successfully. As there is a complaint regarding Johnson & Johnson talcum powder in KCR Kit causing ovarian cancer, should be replaced with the best available talcum powder. 6. There is a wide spread criticism among some sections of the society that Schemes like Kalyan Lakshmi and Shaadhi Mubarak making people lazy and not realizing their responsibilities as parents. Instead of such waste Schemes for votes sake, Government must educate the people, so that they can become responsible citizens of the country. 7. Aasara Pensions are good, but Telangana Government is facing financial crisis and not able to pay Aasara Pensions regularly as it requires over Rs 800 Crore per month. Hence, it is recommended that Government MUST implement this Scheme at any cost to help the poor and needy thereby cutting down wastage expenditure in the administration. 8. People in several areas tried to occupy double bed room houses by breaking the locks due to inordinate delay in allotting them to the beneficiaries. Hence, Government should provide these houses immediately as early as possible after they have been completed. Moreover, there is a wide spread criticism that lot of corruption took place in the construction of quality and also in the allotment of houses to the beneficiaries. Hence, strict measures should be taken to eradicate corruption in the allotment and quality should be maintained in the construction of the houses. 9. Regarding Mission Bhagiratha Scheme opposition parties complaints that there is a major scam in this Scheme, as a majority of the houses are not getting water. Citing examples that people were forced to manually draw water from wells. They said, tanks were constructed for the namesake only to raise the bills. There are several complaints that Mission Bhagiratha pipe lines are frequently broken and there is lot of wastage of water. Hence, Government must review all the complaints and measures strict measures should be taken in this direction. 10. Comptroller and Auditor General of India has reported that Mission Kakatiya, has failed to achieve the targets and the target for phase-1 was unrealistic. Consequently, progress in phase-2 and phase-3 of the Mission Kakatiya was low with 14 and zero per cent respectively. Removal of silt was one of the main components of Mission Kakatiya, but there was an average shortfall of 33 per cent in the removal of silt in 27 test-checked tanks. Prioritization of works was not in accordance with the guidelines. In view of these CAG observation, Telangana Government should take all the required steps. 11. Agriculture experts and those closely working with the Haritha Haram Programme have voiced concerns over the quality of seedlings being used as they are premature and would not be able to withstand the climatic conditions and will perish in the heat and rains. It is also criticized by many people that most of saplings are useless and may cause parthenium disease. Most of the saplings are not provided with tree guards. Hence, they were eaten by goats and thus cores of public money is being wasted. Hence, Government should take all necessary preventive steps in this direction. 12. Telangana Government took “U Turn” regarding the distribution of 3 acres of agricultural land to Dalits. Hence, Governments should think twice before promising the feasibility of such Schemes for votes sake. 13. The Mana Ooru -Mana Badi Scheme is aimed at providing basic infrastructure in order to improve attendance and retention of students in government schools. A decision has also been taken to introduce digital education gradually. This flagship programme is ambitious but ignored several basic needs like most of the schools not having regular teachers, no cleaning staff, no water facility and no toilets. The allocation funds to education in the State budget has sharply fallen from 11 percent in 2014 to 6 percent in 2022. In view of these facts, Government must take all the necessary steps to improve the standards in the schools. Conclusion: To conclude, Welfare Schemes and Programmes in Telangana State have made significant progress in addressing the needs of marginalized communities, but still there are several challenges that need to be addressed. Main challenges are ensuring the effective implementation of these schemes in remote and inaccessible areas. Additionally, there is a need to ensure that the benefits of these schemes should reach the most vulnerable sections of society, particularly poor people, women and children. Going forward, there is a need to strengthen social mobilization and community participation to ensure the sustainability of these Welfare Schemes and Programmes. References: 1. "The Roman Empire: in the First Century. The Roman Empire. Emperors. Nerva & Trajan – PBS". Pbs.org. 2. Amartya Sen: What China Could Teach India, Then and Now: The Citigroup & Asia Society Global Issues Series. 3. Andhra’s partition, federalism and the future – Jayaprakash Narayan. 4. Rythu Bandhu Scheme – Wikipedia 5. Rythu Bandhu: A lifeline scheme for farmers in (9/03/2023). 6. https://www.bqprime.com/election-2019-the-countdown/telanganas-rythu-bandhu-scheme-is-penny-wise-pound-foolish 7. Telanganahttps://dalitbandhu.telangana.gov.in 8. A Big Question on KCR Kit – Hans India (18/07/2018). 9. A Study On “Conditional Cash Transfer Schemes and Child Marriages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana” by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad. 10. Telangana govt’s Aasara pension ensures poor live with dignity – Telangana Today 19/08/2023. 11. https://2bhk.telangana.gov.in 12. https://missionbhagiratha.telangana.gov.in/ 13. https://www.therahnuma.com/mission-bhagiratha-is-a-big-scam 14. https://missionkakatiya.cgg.gov.in/homemission 15. https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2018/mar/30/telangana-government-failed-in-its-ambitious-kakatiya-mission-to-clear-local-water-bodies-cag-1794634.html 16. https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/haritha-haram 17. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/haritha-haram-idea-may-fail-to-germinate/articleshow/47952622.cms 18. https://cm.telangana.gov.in/2019/06/land-distribution-to-dalits/ 19. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/never-said-will-give-3-acres-to-dalit-families-kcr-in-house/articleshow/86797202.cms 20. https://cm.telangana.gov.in/2022/07/mana-ooru-mana-badi/ 21. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-telangana-s-mana-ooru-mana-badi-programme-huge-let-down-167872

Our House