Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has been struggling to find financial resources to implement his pre-election promises, is learnt to have given green signal for the implementation of three more promises.
According to party sources, Naidu might announcement on the implementation of these three promises with effect from August 15.
They are: free bus travel for women in state-run RTC buses, starting of Anna Canteens across the state and Talliki Vandanam, which is extension of financial assistance to mothers for sending their children to schools.
Sources said in the first phase, as many as 100 Anna Canteens would be inaugurated on August 15 in different parts of the state and it would be extended to other parts over the next two months.
With regard to the free bus travel for women in RTC buses, the government is learnt to have estimated that it would cost around Rs 250 crore for the state. The modalities of the implementation of the scheme are being worked out.
The government might ask for Aadhar card on the lines of Telangana or issue Mahalakshmi cards for allowing the women passengers to travel free of cost in the buses.
“There will be clarity to that effect in the next few days,” sources said.
On Thalliki Vandanam scheme, which is a modified scheme of “Amma Vodi” scheme of the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government, the Naidu government announced that unlike in the past where only one of the children of a family would get the financial assistance of Rs 15,000 per year, it would extend the benefit of Rs 20,000 to the family irrespective of the number of children going to schools.
It remains to be seen how the Naidu government would mobilise funds for these schemes.
