VIJAYAWADA: In his vote on account budget, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath on Wednesday proposed to allocate Rs 30,978.23 crore for school education and sought an advance grant (for April to July period) of Rs 10,326.09 crore. For higher education, Rs 2,331.23 crore has been proposed and Rs 777.10 crore has been sought as advance.
Speaking in the Assembly, Buggana said, “In a reform aimed at democratising access to higher education in the State and fostering global competitiveness among students, the government has implemented a series of visionary initiatives over the past four years and ten months.”
Elaborating on the schemes implemented for the benefit of the students, he said under the flagship Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena programmes, the State government allocated a staggering Rs 11,901 crore and Rs 4,276 crore respectively, benefiting approximately 52 lakh students across the State. “The dramatic decline in drop-out percentage in higher education from 20.37% in 2018-19 to 6.62% in 2022-23 can be attributed to these two schemes,” he added.
Stating that the Videshi Vidya Deevena scheme opens doors for underprivileged students to access world-class education and opportunities, the FM said financial assistance was extended to 1,858 SC/ST/BC/Minority students, offering up to Rs 1.25 crore per student for pursuing higher education in the top 50 ranked universities.
“In a bid to bridge gap between academia and industry, the government has facilitated short-term internships for over 1.95 lakh undergraduate students at multinational corporations,” he highlighted.