HYDERABAD: A day after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced financial aid as well as free rice for staff of the recognised private educational institutions, Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar held a video conference with all the Collectors from BRKR Bhavan on Friday.
The Civil Supplies Department has estimated that around 3,625 tonnes of rice worth Rs 13.57 crore would be required for supplying to 1.45 lakh teachers and non-teaching staff working in recognised schools. Besides, the government needs Rs 29 crore to provide Rs 2,000 financial aid to each beneficiary every month.
The distribution of free rice would be implemented from April 21 and it would continue till the schools, which have been closed temporarily due to the second wave of Covid-19, are reopened. “The Chief Minister took the decision on a humanitarian ground,” Kamalakar told reporters later. The Civil Supplies Minister directed the officials to acquire the required rice stocks in all 33 districts.
Education Minister thanked the Chief Minister for providing succour to the staff of private educational institutions. Sabitha asked the Collectors to utilise the database available with the Education Department and take utmost care while identifying the beneficiaries working with private schools.
Upload data online
“Education Department will send a link to all district officials through which the data should be uploaded between April 10 and 15. Scrutiny of the data and redressal of grievances, if any, will be done between April 16 and 19. The financial aid will be deposited directly in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries between April 20 and 24. Similarly, rice will be distributed to the beneficiaries through fair price shops during these days,” she said.
District Collectors have been told to work out a system for those beneficiaries who do not have a ration card so as to ensure that no genuine beneficiary is left out. Since April, 2020, while many private school teachers lost their jobs, others are working with a 50 per cent or lesser salary. Besides private school teachers, many junior colleges and technical college teachers either lost their jobs or are facing pay cuts amidst the pandemic.
Over 1.45 lakh teachers to get 2k financial help
School Education Department issued an order on Friday for disbursement of `2,000 financial assistance and 25 kg rice free of cost to mitigate the suffering of teaching and non-teaching staff of private schools. Teaching and non-teaching staff working at recognised private schools, as of March 16, 2020, are considered eligible beneficiaries. Headmasters will have to ascertain bank accounts and Aadhaar details of staff and submit it online. Thereafter,DEOs will confirm the details and share data with the Finance and Civil Supplies Department