MAINTAINING EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ECONOMIC WELFARE - GOVERNMENTS RESPONSIBILITY - SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TELANGANA - ANALYSIS

-*Dr. S. Vijay Kumar It is the primary duty of all the modern governments in the world to maintain equilibrium between economic growth and economic welfare. Public and private investments should be stepped up for the overall economic development of a country. One of the purposes of welfare investment is to improve national economic growth. Disequilibrium between welfare and growth leads to the wastage of valuable natural and economic resources. If the two different investments – Public and Private investments are not properly maintained, economic welfare and economic growth cannot be achieved in a country. If the current welfare growth is higher than the economic growth in a country, it is apparent that the country has been experiencing some waste of resources and obstacles to the overall economic development of a country. In most of the cases, the governments all over the world are ignoring this responsibility and spending more money on welfare schemes for the sake of coming into power. This will result in scarcity of funds for the economic growth. If governments utilise the resources very carefully, and concentrates on economic growth and initiates all the steps to reach the fruits of growth to the needy, it may not be necessary to spend more fund on public welfare. Efficiency score must increase, that is to say that, to use all natural, human and financial resources very efficiently and effectively for the progress of a country. Another innovative thought is that public and private investment must take place in technological advancement, which in turn can lead to economic growth and welfare. It is necessary to discover the best way to invest welfare spending or the type of welfare regime that is most conducive to productivity enhancement in an economy. If a nation that does not achieve higher welfare investment should reconsider its investment productivity and should tightly manage the associated resources and factors. Consequently, the constructed method set up for the balance between economic growth and economic welfare is achieved. The efficiency of welfare and economic spending over time should lead to establish a “Sustainable Welfare State”. The trend of change in environmental factors for social welfare and economic growth should not be overlooked in a country’s decision-making on improving economic and welfare performance. *Head & Professor (Associate) of Economics (Retd.), Kakatiya Government (UG&PG) College (NAAC “A” Grade), Hanamkonda, Hanamkonda District (Telangana State). Ex - Member Board of Studies, Kakatiya University, Warangal – 506 009 (India). Review of Literature: Broadly speaking welfare means efforts to provide a basic level of well- being through subsidized social services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, vocational training, and public housing. In a Welfare State, the State assumes the responsibility for providing health, education, and infrastructure to the public. In the Roman Empire, the first emperor Augustus provided the Cura Annonae or grain dole for citizens who could not afford to buy food every month. Social welfare was enlarged by the Emperor Trajan. Trajan's program brought acclaim from many, including Pliny the Younger. Other provisions for the poor were introduced during the history of Ancient Rome. In the medieval period and until the Industrial Revolution, the function of welfare payments in Europe was achieved through private giving or charity, through numerous confraternities and activities of different religious orders. Early welfare programs in Europe included the English Poor Law of 1601, which gave parishes the responsibility for providing welfare payments to the poor. This system was substantially modified by the 19th-century Poor Law Amendment Act, which introduced the system of workhouses. It was predominantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that an organized system of state welfare provision was introduced in many countries. Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany, introduced one of the first welfare systems for the working classes. In Great Britain the Liberal government of Henry Campbell- Bannerman and David Lloyd George introduced the National Insurance system in 1911, a system later expanded by Clement Attlee. Modern welfare states include Germany, France, the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic countries, such as Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland which employ a system known as the Nordic model. Esping-Andersen classified the most developed welfare state systems into three categories; Social Democratic, Conservative, and Liberal. A report published by the ILO in 2014 estimated only 27% of the world population has access to comprehensive social security. The World Bank's 2019 World Development Report argues that the traditional payroll based model of many kinds of social insurance are "increasingly challenged by working arrangements outside standard employment contracts". While Amartya Sen has stressed State-led social welfare schemes to tackle India’s developmental issues, others like Bhagwati argues that focusing on economic growth is important so that enough resources are available for social welfare programs. In his view, inequality may rise with economic growth initially, but sustained growth will eventually also sustain the social benefit programs to redistribute and mitigate the effects of the initial inequality. Sen believes that India should invest more in its social infrastructures like health and education to improve human capabilities that will push economic development. In his opinion, without such efforts, inequality widens which ultimately hampers the process of economic development. China as a poor country with more population has expanded the basic needs, education, health care and infrastructure and now emerged as a global leader. The Directive Principles of India, enshrined in part IV of the Indian Constitution, reflect that India is a welfare state. The National Food Security Act, 2013 aims to guarantee right to food to all citizens. The welfare system was fragmented until the passing of The Code on Social Security, 2020, which standardized most of the programmes. The Government of India's social programmes and welfare expenditures are a substantial portion of the official budget, and state and local governments play roles in developing and implementing social security policies. The government uses the Aadhaar system to distribute welfare measures in India. Some of the social programmes Some of the social programmes undertaken by the government are: Direct cash transfers, Financial inclusion of all individuals, Statutory insurances, Free school meals, Rural employment guarantee, Various subsidies & benefits, Pensions & provident funds. As of 2023, the government's expenditure on social programme and welfare is approximately Rs 21.3 lakh crore (US$270 billion), which is 8.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). Over the past decade, the Telangana government has allocated nearly Rs. 5 lakh crores for various welfare schemes, including Aasra pensions and others. These initiatives have provided financial security and enhanced the self-esteem of the underprivileged sections of society. Notably, farmers have received crop investment assistance, effectively addressing their economic difficulties. Special Reference to Telangana: Telangana Government is implementing several Welfare Schemes such as Rythu Bandhu, Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak to provide financial assistance to farmers, women, and families. Additionally, Schemes like Mission Bhagiratha and Haritha Haram aim to provide access to clean drinking water and promote afforestation respectively. These Schemes had a significant impact on the lives of marginalized communities and helping to reduce poverty, improve access to education and healthcare, and enhancing the livelihoods of the rural population. There are several challenges that need to be addressed by the Telangana Government for the better implementation of the said Welfare Schemes and Programmes. After numerous agitations and sacrifices, the Telangana State was achieved in a democratic manner on June 2, 2014 as 29th State of India. At the time of Telangana formation, according to Jayaprakash Narayan Ex-IAS Officer (Ex- Lok Satta MLA), famously known as JP, Hyderabad alone had a government surplus of Rs. 13,000 crores per year. When Telangana State was formed in 2014, the then State Finance Minister Eatela Rajender presented the state’s maiden budget with a proposed expenditure of Rs 1,00,637 crore with a surplus of Rs. 301 crores. As on 2nd June, 2014, when Telangana State was formed, it had an outstanding public debt of Rs. 75,577 Crore. In the first year of its formation, the state had resorted to the public borrowing of Rs. 8,121 crores from several sources. Every year, the state continued to borrow loans, resulting in mounting public debt. Telangana’s outstanding public debts are set to touch Rs 3.57 lakh crore in 2023-24, a jump of about 11 per cent over the previous year while the overall debt burden, including loans taken by state public sector enterprises, has reached Rs 4.33 lakh crore. Thus, Telangana State failed badly to manage debts under FRBM Act. On the eve of independence day (15/08/2023), Telangana government for its political mileage waived crop loans of 90,283 farmers having debts up to Rs 99,999 to gain votes in the coming State Elections. Thus, the government itself encouraging the farmers to become debt defaulters. The farmers who sincerely repaid their loans regularly to the banks are losing and the farmers who intensely not repaid got benefitted. Actually, the Government’s basic duty is to provide all with the basic needs like addressing unemployment and providing employment opportunities, free education up to Intermediate (12th Class) to the economically weaker sections, infrastructure facilities like medical and health, safe drinking water, good roads and homes to the economically weaker sections etc. Forgetting this, today Governments are providing some unnecessary welfare schemes like free food @ Rs. 5 per person, Rythu bandhu for rich farmers (eliminating tenant farmers) etc. for the sake of votes. Due to this, Telangana Government is not in a position to pay salaries and pensions on 1st every month. They are paid mostly either in the second or third week of every month. Now, Telangana Government is scrambling for funds to implement Welfare Schemes and selling government lands at the cost of future development of the State and mostly dependent on income from liquor selling thus spoiling the future of youngsters (Nation). In my opinion, any Welfare Scheme must support the livelihood and elevate his/her economic status but should not make him/her as slave. In fact, the present Governments are making their citizens as slaves and using them as their vote bank at the cost of State (Public) Exchequer. Thus, wasting tax payers’ money. In this context, I would like to remind our Central and State Governments to learn and must follow from this Chinese proverb – “Don’t give fishes freely to the public but should train them how to fish”. That is to say, not to give anything freely but make them self-reliant and earn their livelihood themselves without depending on the government. Discussion: One of the most overlooked points of international comparison in the efficiency measurement literature for social welfare is the degree of environmental factors that disturb efficiency changes between welfare-prioritized countries and economic-growth-prioritized countries. Different statistical methods and designs for analysing social welfare and economic growth are considered to prove variations in efficiency outcomes. The trend of efficiency scores depends based on countries’ decision-making on welfare growth. The differences in welfare regime type can contribute to differences in efficiency in economic and welfare investment. Based on the previous experiences and several studies of Liberal welfare states through international efficiency comparison, balancing welfare and economic growth could be a very challenging task. The lack of an effective governmental decision mechanism, under pressure to establish an appropriate mix of welfare and economic growth, creates uncertainties. Beneficiary identification is the most crucial step for a Government scheme as it determines fiscal outlay and scope of impact. Social welfare policies ensure economic growth dividends are evenly distributed and used to uplift the needy. Hence, it is important to identify policies with highest marginal value of public funds - health and education of children in low-income families. Another way could be targeting specific population subsets - cash pay outs handed to women are more likely to be spent on kids leading to higher roIe in the long run or allotment of government housing in the name of female head of the family aids women empowerment and asset preservation for the next generation. Finding the right equilibrium between fostering social welfare and driving economic growth is undoubtedly a complex endeavour, but one that's pivotal for sustainable development. Implementing targeted policies that support SMEs can foster inclusive economic development, creating job opportunities and bolstering social welfare simultaneously. It's about striking a balance that ensures everyone has access to opportunities while fostering an environment conducive to economic prosperity. Precision-based approaches: Implement efficient targeting mechanisms to ensure resources reach the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of the society, maximizing the impact of social welfare programs while minimizing inefficiencies and potential misuse. Invest in human capital development: One effective approach is to prioritize investments in education and healthcare, as they not only enhance human capital but also contribute to a healthier and more productive workforce, ultimately fuelling economic growth. Those sectors who are already contributing specially need to be protected and nurtured. Those who have the potential need to be found 5 and suitably invested. Those who were earlier contributing but not now, need to be re-looked. All remaining could be spent on social schemes taking care of the senior citizens, women, farmers, small scale industry, tribals etc. The central idea is those, who are contributing directly or indirectly need to be re-invested proportionately and those who are not contributing need to be taken care of! (welfare schemes) Balancing social welfare policies with economic growth requires a nuanced approach. The following are FIVE effective strategies: 1. Invest in education and healthcare to improve human capital and productivity. 2. Implement progressive taxation to redistribute wealth and reduce income inequality. 3. Ensure social safety nets such as unemployment benefits and healthcare coverage to protect vulnerable populations. 4. Promote inclusive growth by creating opportunities for marginalized communities to participate in the economy. 5. Foster public-private partnerships to address social issues while promoting economic development. Conditional benefits: Design social welfare programs with conditional elements that encourage positive behaviours and incentivize self-reliance, promoting long term economic participation and reducing dependency. Transparency and accountability: Foster transparent and accountable program delivery to ensure efficient use of resources and build public trust. Policy Coordination: There must be coordination between different government policies regarding maintaining balance between economic growth and economic welfare. Holistic policy approach: Ensure coordination between social welfare, fiscal, monetary, and regulatory policies to avoid unintended consequences and maximize synergies. Mitigate potential trade-offs: Proactively address potential trade-offs between social objectives and economic growth, seeking solutions that promote both simultaneously. Dynamic responses: Continuously monitor and adapt social welfare policies to address evolving demographic trends, technological advancements, and global 6 challenges. Embrace innovation: Explore and implement innovative solutions that leverage technology and data to enhance program effectiveness and efficiency. Sustainability: Social programs should be financially sustainable in the long run. Public Trust: Transparent and accountable program delivery is essential for public support. Entrepreneurship: Policies that support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) can create jobs and contribute to economic growth. Balancing these goals is an ongoing process. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, and the best approach will vary depending on the specific context of a country or region. Growth and welfare are in the short run competing goals. If growth is focussed less is left for welfare and vis-a-versa. A better strategy would be to have minimal intervention (through tax and subsidy) in economic activities. Especially prices should be left to the market forces to determine except for where good/ service in question is a public or a merit good. A well-directed cash subsidy mechanism should, irrespective of economic priorities, be put in place for social inclusion of most deprived segments of society. A complex structure of poorly directed general subsidies together with a regressive tax system make both growth and welfare elusive targets. Some ways to balance social welfare policies with economic growth include: 1. Providing access to quality education and healthcare improves human capital, productivity, and overall well-being, leading to long-term economic growth. 2. Progressive taxation ensures that higher-income individuals contribute proportionally more to fund social welfare programs, reducing income inequality and promoting social cohesion without hindering economic growth. 3. Training and retraining programs help workers acquire new skills and adapt to changing labour market demands, enhancing employment opportunities and economic growth while reducing poverty and social exclusion. Efficient Implementation: Effective execution of these strategies is crucial for maximizing impact and minimizing unintended consequences. Fair and Equitable Contribution: Designing social welfare programs that ensure fair and equitable contribution from all segments of society is critical for long-term sustainability. 7  Given environmental pressures and long-term economic stagnation, GDP growth can no longer be considered as method to improve welfare resources.  Researchers must investigate the relationship between growth and welfare, finding ways to decouple them, new welfare funding sources less dependent on economic fluctuations, and methods to decrease demand for welfare.  Policymakers must realize the environmental limitations of the economy, working alongside researchers, activists and citizens to ensure public support. Welfare systems provide foundational goods and services such as education, healthcare and social security. They are vital to the health and wellbeing of citizens and are central pillars of ‘just transition’ strategies to cope with climate change. These systems now face a range of multiple and interconnected challenges, including rising inequality, demographic challenges, crises of the climate and ecological systems and the ongoing social and economic challenges. The standard answer to the correspondingly reduced fiscal capacity of welfare systems has been economic growth. GDP growth, the argument goes, brings greater resources for the management of poverty and demographic pressures, and for mitigating and adapting to crises such as climate change. However, the traditional prioritization of economic growth in policymaking is no longer a sustainable answer to the challenges outlined above. First, due to increasing environmental pressures, it is no longer possible to maintain economic growth in rich countries. Very few countries have managed to decouple economic growth from the ecological footprints of production and consumption or from greenhouse gas emissions in absolute terms. Even where this has been achieved, the rates of emission declines are far too slow to match the Paris climate targets. Second, prominent economists have begun to explore the notion that wealthy nations now find themselves in a long-term economic slump, often referred to as ‘secular stagnation’. In consequence, policymakers may well have to do without growth whether they like it or not. It is therefore advisable to conduct research and develop corresponding policy strategies concerning the ways in which growth and welfare interact, examining how existing welfare systems rely on and in fact promote growth, and how the two could be decoupled. This could require, on the one hand, finding new sources of funding which are less affected by economic fluctuations, such as taxes on property, land, financial wealth or inheritance. We can refer to this as the ‘supply’ side of welfare provision. On the other hand, an alternative and sustainable ‘political economy of the post-growth era’ could prevent rising needs 8 for welfare through a more even distribution of work, resources and opportunities, greater economic security, and increased community and family capacities for social support, care and social participation. We can call this the ‘demand’ side of welfare. Research on the supply side of welfare would focus on questions such as how alternative taxation systems for financing welfare can be justified philosophically and morally, while also taking intergenerational and environmental justice into consideration. Economists could develop scenarios for a reorganized supply of welfare, which assume greater taxation of inheritance, wealth, resource-use and fossil energy consumption. Theoretical insights could come from philosophical ‘limitarianism’ as well as from political economy and ecological economics designed to understand and justify limitations, particularly on the amount of wealth individuals could accumulate in an environmentally-constrained world. Concerning the demand side, research can raise questions about how changes in the labour market, health and care sector, community, education and spatial planning could lead to diminishing demand for welfare. Other research could focus on the type of governance that would be required in private, public and civil society. Policy actors in the rich countries must begin to consider the economy as environmentally limited; something that cannot grow any further and instead start to imagine forms of socio-economic regulation and corresponding institutions capable of governing a ‘degrowth’ process of re-embedding economy, society and welfare in environmental limits with a minimum of social exclusion. Electoral support for such a policy move is most likely when co-developed by researchers, activists and citizens in diverse deliberative forums. Civil society mobilization will be necessary to convince policymakers to take planetary limits seriously and, to reach that end, that welfare systems must be independent of economic growth. Different Effective Ways to Balance Social Welfare Policies with Economic Growth: Target The Neediest: One way to balance social welfare and economic growth is to target the neediest and deserving groups, rather than providing universal or blanket benefits. This can reduce the fiscal burden of social welfare programs, as well as the potential for abuse or fraud. Targeting can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of social welfare policies, by ensuring that the benefits reach those who need them the most, and by creating incentives for self-reliance and productivity among the recipients. 9 Promote Human Capital Development: Another way to balance social welfare and economic growth is to promote human capital development, which refers to the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the workforce. Social welfare policies can support human capital development by providing access to education, health care, training, and social services. These policies can enhance the employability and productivity of the workers, as well as their well-being and social inclusion. Human capital development can also increase the innovation and competitiveness of the economy, as well as its resilience to shocks and changes. Align Incentives with Outcomes: A third way to balance social welfare and economic growth is to align incentives with outcomes, which means that the design and implementation of social welfare policies should encourage positive behaviours and discourage negative ones. For example, social welfare policies can provide conditional cash transfers, which link the receipt of benefits to the fulfilment of certain requirements, such as sending children to school, attending health check-ups, or participating in job training. These policies can improve the outcomes of social welfare programs, as well as the accountability and transparency of their delivery. Coordinate with Other Policies: A fourth way to balance social welfare and economic growth is to coordinate with other policies, such as fiscal, monetary, trade, and regulatory policies. These policies can affect the demand and supply of goods and services, the prices and wages, the income and wealth distribution, and the public and private investment. By coordinating with other policies, social welfare policies can avoid unintended consequences or trade-offs, such as inflation, deficits, debt, unemployment, or inequality. Coordination can also create synergies and complementarities, such as stimulating aggregate demand, enhancing social protection, or reducing poverty. Adapt to Changing Circumstances: A fifth way to balance social welfare and economic growth is to adapt to changing circumstances, such as demographic trends, technological advances, environmental challenges, or global crises. These circumstances can have significant impacts on the needs and preferences of the population, the opportunities and threats of the economy, and the resources and constraints of the government. By adapting to changing circumstances, social welfare policies can respond to emerging issues and challenges, as well as capitalize on new possibilities and solutions. Policy Recommendations - Special Reference to Telangana: 1. In recent times the practice of land leasing is increasing substantially due to scarcity of farm labour. Rich land owners unwilling to do the hard work are leasing their lands to hardworking poor tillers. However, the tillers don't get any benefit from the scheme, defeating its purpose. 10 Besides, the Rythu Bandhu Scheme is known to pay for lands that are not in cultivation such as lands converted for real estate or other commercial purposes. There are roughly 13,000 farmers who have land between 20 and 40 acres collectively owning more than 3.19 lakh acres. Its biggest lacuna is that it excludes tenant farmers that take land on lease for cultivation, comprising over a third of Telangana’s farming population. Chief Minister Rao remarking that the scheme “is not tenant Bandhu,” and that there is neither a legal rationale for offering support nor official government records that recognize tenant farmers. This is a double blow to (Tenant Farmers) a population that bears the highest burden of agricultural distress. According to a recent Tata Institute of Social Sciences Survey (TISS) of almost 700 Telangana families, 75 percent of farmer suicides in the past four years were by tenant cultivators. In view of the above said facts, the present Rythu Bandhu Scheme should be reoriented. First, identifying the tenant farmers and including them in Rythu Bandhu Scheme. One possibility involves using the possession of Loan Eligibility Cards (LECs) issued under the Land Licensed Cultivators Act of 2011 that entitled tenants to credit, insurance, and subsidies, as an eligibility criterion for receiving benefits, and combining this with Rythu Bandhu Scheme could benefit tenant farmers. Second, allowing only Small and Marginal Farmers for Rythu Bandhu Scheme by keeping a ceiling and thereby preventing the rich farmers from using this Scheme. 2. Rythu Bheema is a good scheme, but the farmers will get benefit only after their death. Hence, I strongly recommend farmers must also get “Crop Insurance Scheme” benefit in the event of crop losses due to natural calamities. Government MUST procure the crops from the farmers at market rates in time. 3. Due to some unnecessary Welfare Schemes and Programmes for the sake of votes like Rythu Bandhu for rich people and due to wastage and corruption in the administration, the Telangana once a surplus state is scrambling for funds to implement Welfare Schemes and selling lands at the cost of future development of the State. It is also not in a position to pay salaries and pensions on 1st every month. They are paid mostly either in the second or third week of every month. Hence, it is recommended to revamp and reorient all the existing welfare 11 schemes and programmes and to stick to strict financial discipline. 4. Limiting Dalit Bandhu to SCs, unsurprisingly this scheme is causing friction between Dalit groups and upper caste groups owing to the changing social dynamics. It is advised that this Scheme should also be extended to all other eligible economically backward communities. It’s worth noting that there is no online application process for the Dalit Bandhu scheme, and the application acceptance is limited to offline submissions, hence there is a scope for corruption. Corruption in Dalit Bandhu selection process deprives those who genuinely qualify. Critics allege that some leaders are demanding bribes for the selection of candidates for this Scheme. Hence, it is advised that this Scheme should be free from corruption and extended to all other eligible economically backward communities. 5. As there is a criticism that more than 5,000 auxiliary nurse midwives have not been paid their dues for their services since some years, who are really the back bone for the implementation KCR Kit Scheme should be paid and to implement this Scheme successfully. As there is a complaint regarding Johnson & Johnson talcum powder in KCR Kit causing ovarian cancer, should be replaced with the best available talcum powder. 6. There is a wide spread criticism among some sections of the society that Schemes like Kalyan Lakshmi and Shaadhi Mubarak making people lazy and not realizing their responsibilities as parents. Instead of such waste Schemes for votes sake, Government must educate the people, so that they can become responsible citizens of the country. 7. Aasara Pensions are good, but Telangana Government is facing financial crisis and not able to pay Aasara Pensions regularly as it requires over Rs 800 Crore per month. Hence, it is recommended that Government MUST implement this Scheme at any cost to help the poor and needy thereby cutting down wastage expenditure in the administration. 8. People in several areas tried to occupy double bed room houses by breaking the locks due to inordinate delay in allotting them to the beneficiaries. Hence, Government should provide these houses immediately as early as possible after they have been completed. Moreover, there is a wide spread criticism that lot of corruption took place in the construction of quality and also in the allotment of houses to 12 the beneficiaries. Hence, strict measures should be taken to eradicate corruption in the allotment and quality should be maintained in the construction of the houses. 9. Regarding Mission Bhagiratha Scheme opposition parties’ complaints that there is a major scam in this Scheme, as a majority of the houses are not getting water. Citing examples that people were forced to manually draw water from wells. They said, tanks were constructed for the namesake only to raise the bills. There are several complaints that Mission Bhagiratha pipe lines are frequently broken and there is lot of wastage of water. Hence, Government must review all the complaints and measures strict measures should be taken in this direction. 10. Comptroller and Auditor General of India has reported that Mission Kakatiya, has failed to achieve the targets and the target for phase-1 was unrealistic. Consequently, progress in phase-2 and phase-3 of the Mission Kakatiya was low with 14 and zero per cent respectively. Removal of silt was one of the main components of Mission Kakatiya, but there was an average shortfall of 33 per cent in the removal of silt in 27 test -checked tanks. Prioritization of works was not in accordance with the guidelines. In view of these CAG observation, Telangana Government should take all the required steps. 11. Agriculture experts and those closely working with the Haritha Haram Programme have voiced concerns over the quality of seedlings being used as they are premature and would not be able to withstand the climatic conditions and will perish in the heat and rains. It is also criticized by many people that most of saplings are useless and may cause parthenium decease. Most of the saplings are not provided with tree guards. Hence, they were eaten by goats and thus cores of public money is being wasted. Hence, Government should take all necessary preventive steps in this direction. 12. Telangana Government took “U Turn” regarding the distribution of 3 acres of agricultural land to Dalits. Hence, Governments should think twice before promising the feasibility of such Schemes for votes sake. 13. The Mana Ooru -Mana Badi Scheme is aimed at providing basic infrastructure in order to improve attendance and retention of students in government schools. A decision has also been taken to introduce digital education gradually. This flagship programme is ambitious but ignored several basic needs like most of the schools not having regular teachers, no cleaning staff, no water facility and no toilets. The allocation funds 13 to education in the State budget has sharply fallen from 11 percent in 2014 to 6 percent in 2022. In view of these facts, Government must take all the necessary steps to improve the standards in the schools. Conclusion: To conclude, Welfare Schemes and Programmes have made significant progress in addressing the needs of marginalized communities, but still there are several challenges that need to be addressed. Main challenges are ensuring the effective implementation of these schemes in remote and inaccessible areas. Additionally, there is a need to ensure that the benefits of these schemes should reach the most vulnerable sections of society, particularly poor people, women and children. Going forward, there is a need to strengthen social mobilization and community participation to ensure the sustainability of these Welfare Schemes and Programmes. Efficiency loss in welfare investment could be an even bigger problem than productivity gain. Therefore, it concludes that the goals of welfare and economic growth are likely to be achieved efficiently if the inefficiency problem affected by uncontrollable factors in welfare investment is solved. References: 1. "The Roman Empire: in the First Century. The Roman Empire. Emperors. Nerva & Trajan – PBS". Pbs.org. 2. Amartya Sen: What China Could Teach India, Then and Now: The Citigroup & Asia Society Global Issues Series. 3. Our affluence is killing us: What degrowth offers health and wellbeing K. Zywert, S. Quilley (Eds.), Health in the Anthropocene: Living Well on a Finite Planet, University of Toronto Press, Toronto (2019), pp. 306-319 4. Andhra’s partition, federalism and the future – Jayaprakash Narayan. 5. Rythu Bandhu Scheme – Wikipedia 6. Rythu Bandhu: A lifeline scheme for farmers in (9/03/2023). 7. https://www.bqprime.com/election-2019-the countdown/telanganas-rythu-bandhu-scheme-is-penny wise-pound-foolish 8. Telanganahttps://dalitbandhu.telangana.gov.in 9. A Big Question on KCR Kit – Hans India (18/07/2018). 10. A Study On “Conditional Cash Transfer Schemes and Child Marriages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana” by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad. 11. Telangana govt’s Aasara pension ensures poor live with dignity – Telangana Today19/08/2023. 14 12. https://2bhk.telangana.gov.in 13.https://missionbhagiratha.telangana.gov.in/ 14.https://www.therahnuma.com/mission-bhagiratha-is-a big-scam 15.https://missionkakatiya.cgg.gov.in/homemission 16.14.https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/20 18/mar/30/telangana-government-failed-in-its-ambitious kakatiya-mission-to-clear-local-water-bodies-cag 1794634.html 17.https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/haritha-haram 18.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/haritha haram-idea-may-fail-to-germinate/articleshow/47952622.cms 19. https://cm.telangana.gov.in/2019/06/land-distribution-to-dalits/ 20.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/never-said will-give-3-acres-to-dalit-families-kcr-in house/articleshow/86797202.cms 21. https://cm.telangana.gov.in/2022/07/mana-ooru-mana-badi/ 22. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-telangana-s mana-ooru-mana-badi-programme-huge-let-down-167872 15