VIJAYAWADA: The State Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat on Wednesday, approved a policy to attract foreign higher educational institutions, and leading private universities to the State, besides taking a series of decisions covering education, healthcare, welfare, agriculture and land administration.
Disclosing the decisions taken by the Cabinet, Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy said the Andhra Pradesh Policy for Promotion of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) and Private Universities, 2026 was approved.
The policy aims to facilitate the establishment of campuses by reputed foreign universities and Indian private universities, promote international academic partnership, research and innovation, and attract investments without imposing any financial burden on the State government.
It is expected to provide students access to global-standard education within Andhra Pradesh, and reduce the need to go abroad for higher studies. The Cabinet also approved the expansion of the Thalliki Vandanam scheme for 2026-27.
Students set to get 10% hike in diet charges
An additional 58,601 eligible students will be brought under the purview of the scheme, while financial assistance will be released to 3,29,201 beneficiaries selected in the second phase.
The administrative sanction has been increased from `10,120.78 crore to `10,208.69 crore, taking the total number of beneficiaries from 67,47,190 to 68,05,791, he explained.
A Centre of Excellence will be established at the AP Tribal Welfare Residential School at Marikavalasa in Visakhapatnam to provide residential coaching for IIT-JEE and NEET to 600 tribal Intermediate students, with equal number of seats for boys and girls.
The Cabinet approved a 10 per cent increase in monthly diet charges for students staying in welfare hostels, residential schools and other government institutions. The revised rates will benefit 6,28,409 students across various welfare departments.
It also approved the development of the Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Information and Management System (APHIMS) to consolidate horticulture data and improve services to farmers.
The Cabinet further approved amendments to the Andhra Pradesh Education Act, 1982.