From Job Losses To Job Creation: Andhra Pradesh Releases Rs 490 Crore Aid To Benefit Over 3L Women From Various Castes

On July 23, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid out ₹ 490.86 crore under the YSR Kapu Nestham scheme. The scheme was implemented for the second consecutive year and is expected to benefit 3,27,244 women from various castes.

The scheme aims to provide monetary assistance of ₹ 15,000 every year. Its purpose is to empower women belonging to Balija, Kapu, Ontari, and Telaga castes by providing them with business opportunities through various organisations having a tie-up with the government.

Specifics Of YSR Kapu Nestham

Reddy further noted that a total of ₹ 75,000 would be handed over to the women beneficiaries under this scheme in five years. This amount will be credited to the unencumbered accounts of the women beneficiaries. Bankers, too, were instructed against using this money for setting old dues, reported News18.

Schemes Implemented In Last Two Years

Reddy noted that the state government had spent ₹ 12,126 crore for the Kapu community via several welfare schemes in the last couple of years. Of these, ₹ 982 crore was spent on YSR Kapu Nestham.

According to the CM, the government had spent ₹ 9,359 crore to benefit the Kapu community in the same period. The schemes implemented in the process include Aasara, Amma Vodi, Pension Kanuka, Vahana Mitra, Vidhya Deevena, YSR Bima, and YSR Rythu Bharosa.

The government has also spent ₹ 2,767 crore through non-DBT schemes. These schemes include Aarogyasri, Pedalandariki Illu, and Sampoorna Poshana.

Significant Loss In Female Workforce Due To Pandemic

YSR Kapu Nestham is especially significant as it can bring back the women back to workforce. Earlier, a study by Azim Premji University researchers had suggested that the number of employed men (of working age) who remained employed or returned to work in the period August-September 2020 was 88%. In sharp contrast, the employed women who remained employed or returned to work in the same period constituted a mere 10%.

Even among workers who returned to work post lockdown, a considerable proportion of men shifted to self-employment (37%) or worked in agriculture, construction, daily wage work, or trade. However, this movement was restricted among women. The women who moved from a permanent salaried job to self-employment were only 2%.

"This suggests that typical 'fallback' options for employment do not exist for women. During such a shock, women are forced to exit the workforce whereas men negotiate across industries and employment arrangements," the researchers had concluded.

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