The Telangana government is rolling out a comprehensive State-wide household survey to capture the socio-economic data on a single day on August 19 when the State will be literally shut down.
Being mounted on an unprecedented scale, the massive exercise would involve close to 3.5 lakh government employees of all the departments from village to district level who would fan out to record the data of each and every household in the State. The sole objective of the baseline survey is to map out the socio-economic profile of every family in the State for putting in place an authentic database for targeting eligible beneficiaries of government programmes, said Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahamood Ali. “I appeal to all to remain at their houses and cooperate with the survey teams,” he said.
Hyderabad being a big city, teachers of well-known private schools would also be drafted if required for the work. Government employees from revenue to police are involved to lend seriousness to the exercise and to give no room for errors in the data gathering, he said.
When there are 91 lakh white ration cards as against 84 lakh households in the State, people coming in high-end four-wheelers are availing of Arogyasri health insurance scheme. It is evident that in the existing system, welfare schemes were not reaching the targeted groups. “It is our duty to ensure that the poor and deserving get the benefits and check the criminal misuse,” Mr.Ali who holds the Revenue portfolio told The Hindu here on Thursday.
With Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself canvassing for the mission-mode programme, the government is confident the exercise will be successful. “The survey is as important for people as to the government to check leakages,” the Deputy CM asserted.
The Revenue Minister says he himself will be out on the day leading the survey teams so also senior officials, Collectors to emphasise the value government is attaching to the survey. He said people with Aadhar numbers should furnish them as welfare schemes would be linked to Aadhar and given priority in delivery.
A senior official said the baseline survey data will be verified with that of 2011 census and other existing databases such as pensions, white ration cards. Once the data is collected and computerised, the government departments will run several matrixes to find out the eligible beneficiaries for white cards, fee reimbursement, housing, pensions and other welfare schemes.
