Chandrababu Naidu writes a letter to ECI

**Requested for specific instructions to CS on pension door delivery with Sachivalayam staff

The Capital News

Amaravati: April 2: TDP president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the ongoing controversy on pension delivery following the guidelines of the ECI. The guidelines of the ECI keep volunteers away from pension distribution and other cash benefits by making alternative arrangements but the CEO of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) was making false complaints against the TDP as his party is responsible for the situation. He said that already the TDP has requested the Chief Secretary to distribute pensions at the doorstep as in the past by using the secretariats and panchayat staff. The distribution of pensions at the doorstep is not being done and the delays in the process are being attributed to TDP. Various leaders of YSRCP have been criticising the TDP for obtaining such orders from the Election Commission of India and maligning our party, he explained. He said that the staff of 15,000 Village Sachivalayams, which are functioning, can distribute pensions at every door without delay.

He pointed out that the Chief Secretary convened a video conference yesterday in which all the Collectors connected have agreed to distribute pensions at the doorstep of the pensioners as was done in the past by deploying the secretariat staff.

However, the CEO of the SERP who is the Nodal Officer for the pension distribution, stated that it is not possible to make arrangements for pension distribution at the doorstep. D. Muralidhar Reddy, CEO of SERP, is related to Finance Minister of Andhra PradeshBuggana Rajendranath Reddy, . He is also accused in Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s CBI Cases. In fact, on the appointment of D Muralidhar Reddy as Electoral Roll Observer, the leaders of TDP have complained to the ECI that he is politically connected and that he should not be appointed as Roll Observer. Thus there is political pressure by YSRCP leadership on D Muralidhar Reddy not to make arrangements for distribution of pensions at the doorstep of the beneficiaries just to blame TDP for gaining political mileage on the eve of elections.

Chandrababu Naidu requested the ECI to kindly issue specific instructions to the Chief Secretary that the available staff of Sachivalayams and other departments be used and the distribution of pensions at the doorstep of the pensioners should be made without fail.