For decades, women have found themselves to be at a disadvantage across various walks of life. This does not just pertain to women from weaker castes of the society – which would come as news to some, as the general perception being upper castes enjoy definitive privileges in the society.
Even women from the upper echelons of caste find themselves at a disadvantage more often than not, especially if they belong to a financially weaker background. If you happen to be a woman from the upper caste but from a financially weaker background, then the Andhra Pradesh Government has announced the AP YSR EBC Nestham scheme – a welfare scheme for women from the higher castes which offers incentives and benefits.
The EBC Nestham scheme 2021
The Andhra government will initiate the AP YSR EBC scheme for women. Under the implementation of the scheme, the state government will offer financial assistance of ₹15,000 per annum to women from the upper caste who are economically weak.
This assistance will be offered for three years consecutively, which adds up to a total of ₹45,000. Statistics suggest around 4,02,336 women from the EBC categories would profit from the implementation of the scheme.
Features of the EBC Nestham scheme 2021
The benefits provided through the implementation of the scheme are mentioned herewith:
- Since its inception, i.e the Financial year 2021-22, the assistance of ₹15,000 will be offered to economically weak upper-caste women.
- This scheme will extend its benefits only to women falling in the age group bracket of 45-60 years.
- The woman who applies for the scheme should fall in the Economically Backward Class and have conclusive documentation to prove the same as and when requested by authorities.
- EBC women belonging to the upper castes such as Brahmins, Vysya, Velama, Kshatriya, Kamma, Reddy, and Muslims among others would be considered beneficiaries.
- The scheme essentially will be implemented on the lines of the Kapu Nestham and YSR Cheyutha.
- The prime objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to upper-caste women from economically weaker backgrounds who are deprived of other scheme benefits simply because of their caste.
- An assistance amount would be offered for three consecutive years.
- In order to smoothly implement the scheme, a total amount of ₹603.50 crores has been earmarked by the state government in the Budget of 2021-22.
- It has been calculated that through the implementation of the scheme, 4.02 lakh women from economically backward classes would be benefitted from the implementation of the scheme.
- The implementation of the scheme will start from November 2021.
Eligibility criteria to avail the benefits of the scheme
- The applicant must be a permanent resident of Andhra Pradesh.
- The applicant must be a woman from the Economically Backward Class (EBC) category.
- An applicant must belong to the upper caste category along with EBC.
- The family monthly income should be less than ₹10,000 in rural areas and ₹12,000 in urban areas.
- The applicant should have land within 3 acres magani and 10 acres in metta.
- The applicant should have a functional mobile number.
- The applicant should also have a working bank account, preferably a government account.