A directive issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday, instructing them to prevent village and ward volunteers from distributing pensions to senior citizens at their homes due to the enforcement of the model code of conduct, has sparked major controversy within the state.

Acting on a petition filed by Citizens for Democracy, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), and a series of reports in the media that the village and ward volunteers were working as agents of the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress party (YSRCP), the EC directed that the volunteers be barred from distribution of cash benefits under any scheme (including pensions) to eligible beneficiaries.

It asked the volunteers to deposit the handheld devices (mobile/tablets/any other) provided to them by the district election officers till the completion of the model code of conduct.

The EC requested the state government to arrange alternative methods for delivering benefits from ongoing schemes to previously selected beneficiaries, preferably through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) or via other government employees.

With the suspension of pension disbursements scheduled for Monday, leaders of the YSRCP expressed strong opposition to the EC's directive, alleging that the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had conspired to prevent volunteers from distributing pensions to the elderly. They argued that this move was aimed at gaining political advantage for the ruling party.

YSRCP general secretary and advisor to the state government Sajjala Ramakrishna said the disbursement of pensions came to a halt due to the alleged complaint from the TDP. “The so-called NGO, which gave the complaint to the EC, is a pocket organisation of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu working with the sole purpose of undermining the volunteer system,” he alleged.

Reddy said that the elderly people, who had been receiving pensions at their homes consistently for the past four and a half years, would now endure hardship as a result of the selfish politics of Naidu.

“Naidu revealed his true colours to the public before the elections. Everyone should take note of this,” he said.

Throughout the state, numerous village and ward volunteers began tendering their resignations from their positions, claiming that they were being unfairly associated with political motives, despite their dedication to serving the community selflessly.

In Machilipatnam, more than 1,200 ward volunteers submitted their resignations in the municipal commissioner’s office en masse, stating that they were terribly hurt by the allegations levelled against them that they were serving the interests of the ruling party.

TDP candidate for the Machilipatnam assembly seat, Kollu Ravindra, asserted that the mass resignations of volunteers were a result of pressure exerted by leaders of the YSRCP. “How can the TDP be blamed for the EC order? We have not given any such complaint to the EC,” he said.

In the meantime, the state government clarified that the distribution of pensions would continue in the offices of village and ward secretariats, rather than through door-to-door delivery.

In a statement on Monday, D Muralidhar Reddy, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty under the Department of Rural Development, announced that all village and ward secretariat staff would assume responsibility for distributing pensions to the elderly.

“The mandal parishad development officers and municipal commissioners will issue an authorisation letter to the panchayat secretary and welfare and education assistant in rural areas and ward administrative secretaries and ward welfare development secretaries in urban areas for carrying cash from banks to their respective secretariats for distribution among the beneficiaries,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, a delegation of TDP leaders, including Nakka Anand Babu, Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, Varla Ramaiah, and others, met with the state Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy. They submitted a petition expressing apprehensions regarding the delay in pension distribution and urged the Chief Secretary to mandate door-to-door pension distribution.

On Sunday evening, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu also wrote to the chief secretary and chief electoral officer MK Meena separately, urging them to ensure uninterrupted distribution of social security pensions in the state.

He stated, “Naidu said though the EC had barred the distribution of pensions through village and ward volunteers, the state government can still take up distribution of cash to the beneficiaries.”

The TDP chief requested that arrangements be made for the timely disbursement of pensions by secretariat employees and other field staff. Additionally, they requested permission for secretariat staff to withdraw pension amounts directly from banks.

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