Hyderabad: Beneficiaries appeal for Kalyana Lakshmi cheques

In many cases, even after the applications are processed and cheques are ready for distribution, there is a delay in presenting the same to the beneficiaries.

Hyderabad: Before the Assembly elections, the Congress party had promised to offer one tola gold in addition to the Rs.1,00,016 financial assistance to beneficiaries under the Kalyana Lakshmi programme.

This marriage season, many marriages are being performed across the State but those who applied for financial assistance under the scheme, are running from pillar to post to no avail. Despite repeated appeals by applicants, officials are taking their own sweet time in processing the applications.

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In many cases, even after the applications are processed and cheques are ready for distribution, there is a delay in presenting the same to the beneficiaries. And yes, there is no mention of the one tola gold anywhere.

According to official sources, about 14,865 applications have been processed and cheques have been prepared but they were yet to be presented to the beneficiaries. Another 86,483 applications were in the certificate verification stage. In addition to these, 41,887 applications were held up at field level, 24,724 at the RDO level and 19,872 at the MLA level were pending.

Generally, the applications are processed by Tahsildars in the first stage, followed by the RDO in the next stage. However, there appears to be discrimination in processing applications and preparing cheques in the constituencies represented by opposition parties.

Among the 14,865 applications that have been processed and cheques prepared but not distributed, about 8,918 applications come under constituencies represented by BRS MLAs. In many cases, cheque distribution is being delayed in constituencies of BJP MLAs as well.

After former Minister T Harish Rao filed a petition, the High Court instructed the officials to distribute the cheques to Kalyana Lakshmi beneficiaries. In the petition, the former Minister had charged that officials were stalling the distribution of cheques at the behest of Congress leaders.

He also appealed to the court that due to the delay in presenting the cheques, they might get lapsed. Accordingly, the High Court last week issued orders to the Tahsildars to distribute the cheques.

In the constituencies of Congress MLAs, cheques are being presented by the local MLAs and Ministers without any delay. More so, they are maintaining a strategic silence over the one tola of gold that was promised by the party.

For instance, three weeks ago, Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao distributed Kalyana Lakshmi cheques in Kollapur constituency. The Minister stressed that the crop loan waiver was being implemented effectively and all the eligible beneficiaries would get benefits under different welfare programmes. But the Minister did not utter a word about the one tola of gold while presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries.

Likewise, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister D Anasuya and other cabinet Ministers also presented the Kalyana Lakshmi cheques but there was no mention about the gold at the programmes.

Last week, however, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the State government had released Rs.1,225.43 crore towards the Kalyana Lakshmi programme. In the 2024-25 budget, the government allotted Rs.2,175 crore for the programme. In the first phase, Rs.1225.43 crore was released and apart from for the pending applications, funds were released for new applications as well, he said in a statement.

In all, 65,026 applications have been filed under the programme and in the 2024-25 financial year from April to till date, 33,558 applications have been filed. In the last financial year upto March 31, nearly 31,468 applications were pending and of these 28,225 applications were pending at the MRO level, 12,555 at the RDO level while 208 applications were rejected, he said, adding that pending applications apart, funds were released for 24,038 applications.

Of the Rs.1,225.43 crore released, while there was a demand for Rs,649.86 crore, about Rs.240.73 crore was spent towards sanctioned applications, the Minister said.