Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy released Rs 680.44 crore towards Jagananna Vidya Deevena for the second quarter of 2023 benefiting 9,32,235 students. The amount would be directly credited into their mothers’ bank accounts.

Addressing a public meeting before releasing the amount at Nagari on Monday, the Chief Minister said the Government has been spending huge amounts on educational reforms as it strongly believes that education only can drive away poverty and other ills from society.

Jagananna Vidya Deevena was introduced to ensure 100 per cent fee reimbursement so that financial inability doesn’t come in the way of pursuing higher education, he said.

In the last four years, Government has spent Rs.69,289crore 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, he said.

The results are tangible in distribution of tablets to students of class 8, 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.

While TOEFL training will help students improve communication skills, introduction of job-oriented curriculum and verticals in higher education will help students face the competition in the job market at national and international level, he said, adding that soon students will 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 Government has paid Rs 11,317 crore under Vidya Deevena alone and Rs 4275 crore under Vasathi Deevena, the Chief Minister said. Under the scheme, quarterly fee reimbursement is made soon after completion of the quarter.

He asked mothers to visit colleges and find out the facilities and quality of teaching and suggested they can lodge complaints on toll-free number 1902 and also on Jaganannaku Chebudam helplines for resolving the issues.

The Chief Minister laid foundation stones for a model police station and a boys’ residential school and inaugurated a 100-bedded hospital.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy released Rs 703 crore under Jagananna Vidya Deevena for total fee reimbursement of 9.95 lakh students for the first quarter of 2023. The amount would be directly credited into the bank accounts of students’ mothers.

Addressing the students and parents at Kovvur on Wednesday after releasing the amount, the Chief Minister said that pursuing higher education is the right of the poor and the Government has been implementing the Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Vidya Deevena to help poor students pursue higher education.

As suggested by social reformers like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr BR Ambedkar and Savitri Bai Phule, higher education only can eradicate poverty, he said, adding that the Vasathi Deevena and Vidya Deevena are being implemented with commitment to drive away poverty from the society.

Under Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Vidya Deevena alone, the Government has so far spent Rs 14, 912.43 crore including the arrears of Rs 1778 crore, he said, adding that the Government is disbursing the Vidya Deevena funds at the end of each quarter.

“Soon, AP will become a hub for skilled manpower and show the way for the entire country,” he stated, asking the students to pursue higher education goals unmindful of the expenses involved.

While the dropout number at the Intermediate level has come down to 22,387 from 81,813 in 2018-19, the number of students pursuing Engineering courses has gone up to 120,000 from 87,000, said the Chief Minister, stressing this is an indication of the reforms in the education sector yielding results.

The government wants every family in the State to produce a Satya Nadella, he observed, stating that introduction of job-oriented curriculum, 4-year honours degree courses, skill development training programmes and online verticals will help students a lot.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday credited Rs 671.4 crore into the mothers’ bank accounts of 10.8 lakh students pursuing higher education as part of theJagananna Vidya Deevena scheme.

“The scheme has been designed to make education accessible to the poor and the needy in the statereal wealth which can be given to the future generation is education, which alone can eradicate poverty and change their lives,” said Reddy as he transferred the funds.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to education sector, prompting it to roll out initiatives such as Jagananna Gorumudda, Amma Vodi and others to ensure that no family gets indebted to fund their children’s education.

Andhra released Rs 4,208 crore for free reimbursement in the year 2019-20, including clearing Rs 1,880 crore pending dues hanging from the last government.

Unlike earlier when the money used to get directly paid to college owners, the current government is crediting it into the mothers’ accounts for better supervision of colleges’ facilities and students’ wellbeing.

This move is also aimed at improving accountability from college management.

The state government activated toll free number 1902 for people to lodge complaints in case they face issues with college managements’ or Vidya Deevena.

Under Jagananna Vidya Deevena, fee reimbursement will be credited into mothers’ accounts in four installments, the first of which was released on Monday.

The second tranche will be released in July, third in December and fourth in February 2022.

Following 10.1 lakh students benefiting from the scheme, another 77,000 students have been added in the current year.

Including last year, the southern state spent Rs 4,207.8 crore on this scheme. Eom/302 words