Resource Mobilisation for New Welfare Programmes in Andhra Pradesh

Resource Mobilisation for New Welfare Programmes in Andhra Pradesh J V M Sarma THE welfare schemes announced by the new government in Andhra Pradesh have raked up considerable controversy. The food subsidy scheme in particular, popularly known as the ' two-rupee-kilo-rice' scheme, is seen in some circles as an election stratagem used by the Telugu Desam party to capture political power. While it is debatable whether the election success can be entirely attributable to the promise of rice subsidy since the Congress Party had also promised a similar scheme albeit on a modest scale, in a broader sense, the outcome does reflect the popular mood to have such safety net schemes in the wake of the liberalisation and globalisation programmes taken up by the central government.