“I want every child to be a Satya Nadella and compete with him”: YS Jagan

ANANTAPUR: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy stressed on Wednesday in Narpala Village of Anantapur district on the state government's aim of developing young people into world-class leaders and said that he wants every child to strive to be the next Satya Nadella, the Indian-born CEO of Microsoft.

"Our mission is to prepare youth to become world-class leaders," YS Jagan remarked while addressing thousands of children gathered at Narpala Village in Anantapur district where he disbursed funds under the 'Jagananna Vasathi Deevena' scheme.

He disbursed Rs 912.17 crores as part of the ‘Jagananna Vasathi Deevena’ scheme into the bank accounts of the mothers of 9,55,662 students through DBT. ‘Jagananna Vasathi Deevena’ is one of the welfare schemes offered by the YS Jagan government in Andhra Pradesh to provide financial aid to students from economically weaker sections pursuing post-secondary education.

The Chief Minister said that the revolutionary changes made in the education system in Andhra Pradesh are enabling the young generation to attain greater objectives. "I want every child to strive to be the next Satya Nadella, the Indian-born CEO of Microsoft,” he added.

The phrase "knowledge is power" is a well-known proverb but I prefer the phrase to be "education is power." He further noted that the state's private institutions are now competing with the government colleges, as he emphasized how the government schools and colleges are now on par with private institutions. He continued by stating that studies indicated a 50 percent increase in the number of engineering students enrolled in the state.

So far, under the scheme, the government has credited Rs 4,275 crores into the bank accounts of the mothers of 25,17,245 beneficiaries through the transparent method of DBT. Whereas, by combining both Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Vidya Deevena, the government has spent Rs 14,223 crores (including Rs 1,778 Cr pending dues from the previous TDP government).

Results achieved by the Jagan government in the education sector after the implementation of reforms:

♦ The number of students who passed intermediate school but were unable to enroll in higher education in 2018–19 was 81,813; however, in 2022–23, that number has decreased to 22,387 thanks to the implementation of the ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ and ‘Jagananna Vasathi Deevena’.

♦ Compared to the national average of 27 percent, the drop-out rate for students entering higher education has drastically decreased, falling to 6.62 percent in 2022–23.

♦ For 2018–19, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) was 32.4%. Steps are being taken to increase the GER to 70%.

♦ The average number of girls enrolling in colleges per 100 boys has climbed from 81 in 2018-19 to 94 in 2020-21 (Gender Parity Index)

♦ The Campus Placements have also made a quantum jump from 37,000 In 2018-19 to 85,000 in 2021-22.