TDP's First Year in Andhra Pradesh: Promises Versus Progress

As the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Andhra Pradesh completes its first year in office, a mixed picture emerges.

Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu came to power in 2024 with a bold welfare agenda centred around its “super six” promises which are targeted initiatives aimed at empowering farmers, women, youth, and the economically disadvantaged. While some of these have seen tangible progress, others remain in early stages or await full-scale rollout.

The government’s first year has been marked by both ambition and constraints. On one hand, it has presented a forward-looking budget with substantial allocations for welfare, backward communities, and infrastructure. On the other, the translation of these promises into on-ground impact has faced hurdles ranging from administrative transitions to fiscal limitations. In comparison to the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government’s first year, which was characterised by swift implementation of key welfare schemes, the TDP’s pace has been more measured, drawing both caution and criticism.

The 'Super Six' versus 'Navaratnalu' model

One of the first big-ticket implementations under the TDP rule was the increase in pensions under the NTR Bharosa scheme from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. This was rolled out within the first few months of assuming office and currently covers a wide array of vulnerable sections like senior citizens, widows, toddy tappers, and disabled persons.

By comparison, in 2019, Jagan's government had launched the YSR Pension Kanuka, initially raising the pension amount to Rs 2,250 and later scaling it up to Rs 3,000. The Jagan administration’s rollout was swift and accompanied by the volunteering system that ensured doorstep delivery a move hailed for administrative innovation.

Talliki Vandanam versus Amma Vodi

Both parties understood the electoral potential of incentivising education through financial assistance to mothers.

The Andhra Pradesh government has officially rolled out the ‘Thalliki Vandanam’ scheme, offering Rs 15,000 per school-going child (Class 1 to 12) to mothers or guardians. The scheme covers over 67 lakh students and 43 lakh mothers, including those in government and private schools. Of the total amount, Rs 13,000 is directly credited to the mother’s account, while Rs 2,000 is allocated for school development. With a budget of Rs 8,745 crore, the first phase of payments began on June 12, and the second phase is set for July 7, following a grievance redressal period. The initiative, a key pre-election promise, replaces the previous YSRCP-era Amma Vodi scheme with broader coverage and digital oversight.

By contrast, Amma Vodi was one of the first schemes rolled out by the Jagan government and covered lakhs of families. Over Rs 26,000 crore was disbursed during Jagan’s tenure under Amma Vodi alone. Importantly, the YSRCP scheme had fewer exclusions in its initial form, though it was later limited to one child per family.

Annadata Sukhibhava versus YSR Rythu Bharosa

In an agricultural state, farmer welfare is politically critical. TDP’s Annadata Sukhibhava promises Rs 20,000 annually to each farmer, higher than the Rs 13,500 per year provided under Jagan’s YSR Rythu Bharosa.

While TDP has allocated Rs 6,300 crore for the scheme in the 2025 budget, disbursement is yet to commence. YSRCP, however, had already disbursed Rs 34,378 crore to farmers under Rythu Bharosa during Jagan’s first year, integrating central schemes with state top-ups for maximum benefit.

Women-centric schemes

TDP’s Deepam 2.0 scheme, aimed at providing three free LPG cylinders per year to women, is ambitious, covering 90 lakh households with an outlay of Rs 2,601 crore. The Digital Lakshmi scheme is another innovation, aiming to establish 10,000 women-run digital service centres, though this is still in the planning phase. The YSRCP, on the other hand, had implemented YSR Cheyutha and YSR Aasara during Jagan’s first year – disbursing Rs 19,189 crore to women’s groups and clearing self-help group loans to enhance financial autonomy.

Both schemes were active in Jagan’s first year, with visible outcomes.

Employment, transportation and other promises

TDP had promised an unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month for educated youth and free bus travel for women. However, no official rollout or financial provisioning has been made public for these schemes as of June 2025. This contrasts with the YSRCP’s emphasis on job generation through Village Secretariats and employment within the volunteer system creating over two lakh jobs in its first year, albeit with criticism over irregularities and favouritism.

Delivery mechanisms: From doorsteps to kiosks

YSRCP made governance delivery a highlight through its Grama Volunteer system, where over 2.6 lakh volunteers delivered pensions, rations, and information at citizens' doorsteps. This dramatically changed the welfare experience in rural Andhra Pradesh.

TDP’s counter-approach, the Digital Lakshmi initiative, is still in its infancy, but aims to replicate some of these features in a digitised, kiosk-based format managed by women.

Financial realities

Despite an assertive welfare vision, TDP faces a staggering fiscal challenge: the state’s total debt now stands at Rs 9.74 lakh crore, and the budget estimates show a Rs 1.46 lakh crore revenue-expenditure gap.

While Chandrababu Naidu has been quick to blame YSRCP’s “reckless freebies” for the crisis, critics argue that the TDP’s own promises are also subsidy-heavy and might face the same hurdles if not restructured. YSRCP, for its part, was criticized for relying heavily on borrowings and central devolution, but managed large-scale cash disbursements without immediately visible economic breakdown though fiscal stress was a growing concern by 2023.

One year, two models

In one year, the TDP government has made a solid start on its welfare promises, but implementation remains work-in-progress. Only the NTR Bharosa pension hike has been fully realised; the rest remain on paper or in preparatory stages.

In comparison, Jagan’s first year saw aggressive rollout of multiple welfare schemes, high disbursement levels, and structural innovations like the village volunteer system. However, Jagan’s schemes were also criticised for fostering dependency and fiscal unsustainability.

Ultimately, while both governments have focused on welfare as a political and developmental tool, the YSRCP’s first year was marked by faster and broader execution, while TDP’s first year is defined more by ambition and planning than delivery. How this plays out over the full term, especially under fiscal pressure will define not just Naidu’s legacy, but also contour welfare politics in Andhra Pradesh.

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