Amaravati: Asserting that poverty should not deprive a child from pursuing higher education, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday credited Rs 1048.94 crore into the accounts of mothers of 10,89,302 students under ‘Jagananna Vasathi Deevena’ welfare scheme for the academic year 2020-21.
Speaking on this occasion, the Chief Minister said that only education has the power to change the world, eradicate poverty and backwardness of the society, which is why no child has to be deprived of getting educated. In order to provide quality education for the students and to ease the financial burden on parents, the government has come up with Vidya Deevena reimbursing the college fees and Vasathi Deevena for boarding and hostel fees to the students.
Attributing that Vasathi Deevena would benefit nearly 10.89 lakh students in the state, the Chief Minister said that Rs 2,270 crore was spent alone on the scheme since the formation of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government.
In the education sector alone, for schemes like Amma Vodi, Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena, Goru Muddha, Vidya Kanuka and Nadu-Nedu, the state government had spent a whopping Rs 25,714 crores in just 22 months of forming the government.
“In spite of going through severe financial crisis due to the pandemic, the State government did not back out from implementing any welfare scheme,” said the Chief Minister.
On the reforms in the education sector, he said that the government will be implementing the CBSE board from the coming academic year and also transform Anganwadis as YSR Pre-primary schools offering PP1, PP2 and Pre first class.
He further spoke about the issue of conducting examinations to class X and Intermediate students, he said the center had left it to the state governments to decide whether or not to conduct tests in the current scenario.