VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made it clear that there should be accountability for the funds being spent by the State government for the welfare of Backward Class students.
Reviewing the welfare schemes being implemented by the BC Welfare Department at an official meeting at the State Secretariat on Friday, he said the repair works taken up at 660 government hostels at a cost of Rs 13.10 crore should be completed within six weeks.
When officials informed the Chief Minister that plates, glasses, kitchen items and other such material were not supplied by the previous government to the inmates of hostels, and now steps are taken to supply these items at a cost of Rs 16 crore, Naidu directed them to complete the entire process by the third week of March.
The Chief Minister gave his nod for immediate clearance of all the pending honorarium dues to tutors in 485 hostels amounting to Rs 4.35 crore, which includes Rs 2.02 crore till March last. When the officials informed that diet charges to the tune of Rs 185.27 crore are pending for students, Naidu gave the nod to pay Rs 110.52 crore along with pending cosmetic charges amounting to Rs 29 crore.
He agreed to the proposal for the upgradation of BC Welfare Girls Schools at Nasanakota and Atmakur in Sri Sathya Sai district into Residential Colleges, and gave the green signal for setting up a BC Girls Residential School in Kuppam. The government is keen on reviving 34% quota for BCs in local bodies, and that this has been cleared by the Cabinet as promised during the NDA poll campaign, and if necessary the government is ready to wage a legal battle in this regard, he said.