VIJAYAWADA: Countering the Opposition claim that the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka is a Central scheme, Education Minister Audimulapu Suresh on Saturday rubbished it as “totally false and baseless”. He maintained that only Rs 100 crore was Central grant while the State was bearing the remaining amount.
Speaking to the media, Suresh said that 18 per cent of the State budget was allocated for the education sector and added that Rs 69 crore was allocated for school bags, Rs 72 crore for notebooks, Rs 67 crore for shoes and socks and Rs 10 crore for belts, being distributed to the students in the government schools under the scheme.
Criticising Opposition Leader N Chandrababu Naidu and others for claiming that the scheme was implemented with Central funds, the minister said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy wants that poverty should not be an impediment to education, and hence started Vidya Kanuka programme. Naidu was not able to digest the fact that Jagan will remain as the Chief Minister for a long time, he alleged.
“While the Chief Minister is bringing reforms in the education sector, the Opposition leaders are bent upon mud-slinging on the Vidya Kanuka scheme,’’ he alleged. Suresh said the scheme has been drawing all-round applause as no other State is implementing such a scheme, under which a pair of shoes, two pairs of socks, school bags and work books are being given to the students.
The neighbouring States were looking forward to implementing such a unique programme, he claimed.
Stating that the programme was in tune with the aspirations of BR Ambedkar, Suresh said that the government was ready for a debate on the issue and an inspection on the quality of the items being distributed to the students.
While reiterating that Naidu has the habit of mud-slinging, he said while the Centre paid for the uniforms and textbooks, the State government has given a pair of additional uniforms to the students. The minister asked the opposition leaders if they had ever thought of a scheme like Amma Vodi, which is the brainchild of Jagan. He said the Chief Minister is keen on providing quality education to all sections of people.