VIJAYAWADA: Reforms in the education sector have started yielding results, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said Friday, adding that the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the State improved to 8.64 per cent compared to the national average of 3.04 per cent.
Referring to GER for women, Jagan said the State has registered a 11.03 per cent growth while at the national-level, it was only 2.28 per cent.He was speaking after releasing the second tranche of Rs 1,024 crore under Jagananna Vasathi Deevena at Nandyal, the district headquarters of newly-formed Nandyal district. The amount was credited to the accounts of mothers of 10,68,150 students across the State.
Jagan reiterated that poverty should not deprive education to a child and hence his government initiated several reforms, with Vasathi Deevena being one of them.
"To provide quality education and to ease the financial burden on parents, the government has initiated Vidya Deevena to reimburse college fees and Vasathi Deevena to reimburse boarding and hostel fees," Jagan explained.
The chief minister clarified that there is no cap on the number of children from a family to avail Vasathi Deevena, Vidya Deevena or any other available education schemes.
"Depositing the money directly into the mothers’ accounts gives them the right to question the college managements on lack of facilities, if any. It empowers them and increases the accountability of college managements. If any grievances are reported, government will take action," he reiterated.
The current government is doing more than promised, Jagan said while accusing the previous TDP government of neglecting the fee reimbursement scheme started by his father YS Rajashekar Reddy.
Affirming that the Vasathi Deevena scheme would benefit nearly 10.68 lakh students in the State, the chief minister said Rs 3,329 crore has been spent on it since 2019. The chief minister added Rs 6,969 crore for Vidya Deevena has been spent, besides spending Rs 1,778 crore to clear the dues from TDP's tenure.
Slamming the Opposition and a section of the media for creating controversy over packaging of 'peanut chikki' (energy bars made of peanuts and jaggery) distributed along with midday meals. Jagan said the previous government had spent only Rs 500 crore on midday meals, while his government has shelled out Rs 1,990 crore for providing healthy, nutritious meals.
He alleged that a section of the media was deliberately indulging in false campaigns to defame the government. "It is unfortunate that we have an opposition which is least bothered about the image of the State so much so they even defame it in Parliament too. Let me tell them all, I am here today with God's grace and blessings of the people. As long as they are with me, no one can touch me," Jagan warned.