In the 2019 elections, Jagan Mohan Reddy promised every mother in Andhra Pradesh ₹15,000 per year for each child going to school. He said this would be given without any conditions, for up to three children. People believed this promise and supported him, especially mothers from poor and rural families. Nearly 67 lakh women hoped to receive this help every year, and the total cost was expected to be ₹10,000 crore annually, adding up to ₹50,000 crore in five years.
But what really happened was very different. Year after year, the funds were quietly reduced. In the first year itself, only ₹6,349 crore was given. The next year, again a similar cut was made. And it kept getting worse. By the fifth year, just before the 2024 elections, the government released only ₹53 crore, not even 1% of the promised amount. Over the five years, the total amount given was ₹23,877 crore. That means nearly ₹26,123 crore was never given to the mothers, which is more than half of the promised amount.
There has been no proper explanation for why the funds were cut. People filed RTIs, but they got no clear answers. The government kept saying there was a financial crisis. Women in many districts, like Chittoor, Guntur, and Anantapur protested against this betrayal. Then Opposition parties started calling the scheme “Vote Vodi” instead of Amma Vodi, saying it was just a trick to get votes. YS Jagan tried to defend the decision by saying that the money was used for health and infrastructure, but no details were shared with the public.
Meanwhile, other states and the central government continued their women-focused schemes without such problems. For example, Telangana’s Kalyana Lakshmi scheme and Modi’s Beti Bachao initiative had full delivery without major complaints. But Amma Vodi ended up with the worst delivery record in the country.
Now there are demands for a CBI inquiry into this issue. The High Court is also hearing a case that asks the government to reveal full details of the spending. A report from the CAG is expected, which may reveal more about the mismanagement.
