YS Jagan releases Rs 680 crore for Vidya Deevena

CHITTOOR: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has released Rs 680.44 crore under the ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ for the second quarter of 2023 on Monday. The amount would benefit as many as 9,32,235 students and it would be directly credited into their mothers’ bank accounts.

Addressing a huge public meeting before releasing the amount at Nagari in Chittoor district here, the Chief Minister said, “The State Government has been spending huge amounts on educational reforms as it strongly believes that education can only drive away poverty and other ills from society.” Jagananna Vidya Deevena was introduced to ensure 100 per cent fee reimbursement so that financial inability didn’t come in the way of pursuing higher education, he said.

YS Jagan said that in the last four years, the State Government had spent Rs 69,289 crore on education alone implementing unique programmes like Jagananna Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena, Amma Vodi, Videshi Vidya Deevena, Goru Mudda, Vidya Kanuka, YSR Sampoorna Poshana, Nadu-Nedu, and YSR Kalyanamasthu and YSR Shadi Tohfa. The results were tangible in the distribution of tablets to students of class VIII, digitalisation of teaching with IFPs from class 6, introduction of English medium, bi-lingual textbooks, Byju’s content, subject-teacher concept from class 3 and improved facilities in Government schools, he said.

The Chief Minister said that while TOEFL training would help students improve communication skills, introduction of job-oriented curriculum and verticals in higher education would help students face the competition in the job market at national and international level, he said, adding that soon students would also be able to pursue courses containing IB syllabus.

“Vidya Deevena is being implemented for students pursuing ITI, Polytechnic, Degree, Engineering, Medicine and other courses without any limit on the number of eligible children in a family. So far, the State Government has paid Rs 11,317 crore under Vidya Deevena alone and Rs 4,275 crore under Vasathi Deevena. Under the scheme, quarterly fee reimbursement is made soon after completion of the quarter,” YS Jagan said.

The Chief Minister asked mothers to visit colleges and find out the facilities and quality of teaching and suggested they could lodge complaints on toll-free number 1902 and also on ‘Jaganannaku Chebudam’ helplines for resolving the issues. He laid foundation stones for a model police station and a boys’ residential school and inaugurated a 100-bedded hospital.

On an appeal from Nagiri MLA and Tourism Minister RK Roja, the Chief Minister announced withdrawal of electricity duty on power looms and promised to expedite the work relating to three reservoirs of Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi project. He also announced that the arrears of Rs 21 crore kept pending by the previous TDP Government for the employees of the SV Cooperative Sugar Factory at Renigunta were cleared.

Andhra Pradesh Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, KV Ushasri Charan and M Nagarjuna and several people’s representatives and senior officials were also present.