The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy, introduced the YSR Adarsham Scheme in October 2019 which is yet to be implemented. The aforementioned scheme will provide self-employment opportunities to the youth of Andhra Pradesh by creating job opportunities in the transport sector. The government of Andhra Pradesh plans to distribute trucks under this scheme and applicants will acquire bank loans to purchase good-carrying trucks. Listed banks will play an important role in the implementation of this scheme as these financial institutions will scrutinize and clear applications.
State-run corporations will hire these trucks; each beneficiary of the scheme can earn Rs 20,000 per month. The government has announced that after implementation of the scheme, around 6,000 trucks will be distributed to eligible youth and they will carry sand, food and beverages and other perishable and non-perishable commodities.
Eligibility Criteria - The scheme is only available for youngsters not associated with any job or business so as to ensure that it provides a steady source of income to legal and permanent residents of Andhra Pradesh. This scheme is open for candidates from Below Poverty Line groups, tribal people from the ST, SC and OBC categories, members who come under the Kapu Corporation and minority communities.
Necessary Documents for application - It is mandatory for applicants to furnish their official residential documents, highlighting that the person is a citizen of Andhra Pradesh, copy of their Aadhaar cards as identification proof, caste certificates to highlight that they legally belong to SC, ST and OBC communities, minority certificates, where applicable, that have been issued by the Andhra Pradesh government, BPL certificates if applicable. Once the applicants get loan approval from the bank, they need to pay the State Goods and Service Tax for the truck and during the application process, the payment slip that is issued by the state GST department must be submitted for scrutiny. All applicants must furnish bank account details and documents as the monetary assistance that the state government will offer via banks will be deposited in the beneficiary's bank account.
Benefits of YSR Adarsham Scheme - Due to lack of proper transportation, the price of commodities goes up on account of a reduced supply. This scheme will boost the supply of commodities in the market, thereby bringing down prices. After a period of 5 years, when the loan is repaid, the YSR Adarsham Scheme beneficiary will become the owner of the vehicle without any encumbrances.
YSR Adarsham Beneficiary List - Once all application requests have been collected, it will be the responsibility of the selection committee to pick eligible and deserving candidates. The selection committee will comprise of 8 members. The authorities will check the eligibility of the applicants and the applicants who fulfill the necessary and required criteria will be listed in the list of beneficiaries.
State and District Level-Committees - The government has formed state - and district-level committees to monitor the Adarsham Scheme. The responsibility of the state-level committee is to issue detailed guidelines for the proposed system, monitor functions of all the associated agencies. The terms and conditions for Vehicle OEMs and identification of OEMs through a reverse-tendering process will also be handled by this committee and it will ensure minimum payment of GST in transportation.
The responsibility of the district-level will be to assess the transport requirements of the region. It will ensure coordination with banks for loans and support agencies in the procurement of vehicles and identify Adarsham Scheme beneficiaries and make timely payments. The members of the district level-committee will also monitor the performance of beneficiaries and support welfare corporations in signing agreements with OEMs and banks.
Once an applicant is registered as a beneficiary, she will have to apply for the vehicle loan from the list of banks highlighted on the portal since they have clearance to give loans for this scheme. The applicant can select any of the listed banks and fill in the loan application form with personal details. The documents submitted by the applicants will be scrutinized by the bank and after every document is verified, the scheme beneficiary will acquire the credit to purchase a vehicle.
The scheme has two benefits for the people of the state. Apart from creating employment opportunities for marginalized and unemployed youth, it will help in reducing the cost of transportation of several items, thereby making them inexpensive.
(Vijayasai Reddy is Parliamentary Party Leader and National General Secretary of YSRCP.)
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