AMARAVATI, Sept. 11, 2026: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed district collectors to move toward a family-centric model of welfare delivery, saying families should not be divided into smaller units merely to qualify for pensions, ration benefits or other government schemes.
Addressing collectors on the second day of the eighth collectors’ conference on Friday, Naidu ordered officials to complete family mapping before issuing new pensions while ensuring that existing beneficiaries continue to receive their benefits without interruption.
“Families should not split into smaller units for ration and pension benefits,” Naidu said, according to the government release. He called for policies that give greater importance to larger families and provide them with comprehensive benefits based on the family as the basic unit.
The chief minister said the government’s approach should shift from simply providing welfare to creating economically stronger households. He described the policy as “welfare to empowering families”, with government programmes designed to reduce economic disparities and improve living standards.
Naidu said the state had spent around ₹1.50 lakh crore on welfare programmes so far, including approximately ₹75,000 crore on pensions. He directed officials to identify shortcomings in existing schemes and develop more effective models for delivering benefits.
Under the proposed family-oriented approach, ration distribution should provide five kilograms of rice per person in a family, he said.
The chief minister also called for a wider rollout of the “One Family, One Entrepreneur” programme through the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA). The government is working to develop 500,000 women as entrepreneurs, he said, stressing that welfare programmes should ultimately help families become economically self-reliant.
Naidu urged district administrations to work toward the empowerment of different social groups and ensure that development reaches all sections of society. He also stressed the need to provide students in hostels with quality products and better educational facilities.
He asked collectors to implement the P4 programme as a broad-based social movement rather than as a routine government initiative.
The chief minister outlined a calendar of recurring programmes intended to strengthen public services and community participation. The first day of every month has been designated for “Pedala Sevalo”, focused on serving poorer sections. The ninth of every month will be devoted to “Mee Bhoomi–Mee Hakku”, aimed at cleaning up and updating land records.
The third Saturday will be observed through “Swachha Andhra–Swarna Andhra”, with an emphasis on sanitation, while the fourth Saturday will focus on citizens’ health management through the “Sanjeevani” digital health-record programme.
Naidu also called for efforts to promote positive thinking and social values, saying the government’s long-term objective was to build a healthier and more responsible society. Tackling issues such as anaemia among women and children would be essential to improving public health and achieving the state’s 2047 vision, he said.
Collectors were also asked to prepare plans to generate revenue from Waqf properties and complete unfinished Kapu Corporation buildings.
During the conference, Minister K. Atchannaidu raised a long-standing demand from the Yanadi Konda community in Srikakulam district for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes category.
Naidu said the authority to include a community in the Scheduled Tribes list rested with the Central government. In the meantime, he directed officials to explore extending benefits available to ST communities to the Yanadi Konda community, following an approach similar to that adopted for the Budaga Jangam community.
Ministers, Chief Secretary Sai Prasad, senior officials from various departments and district collectors attended the conference.
