CM Jagan to release funds for Jagananna Vidya Deevena today

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will release funds for the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme by pressing a button at a function near the market yard at Thiruvuru on Sunday. With that one click, he will be transferring Rs 698.68 crore to around 9.86 lakh students towards the October-December 2022 quarter directly into the bank accounts of mothers of students.

Officials said that under the scheme, which is endeavoured to provide higher education to student from poor families, the state government is reimbursing total fee on a quarterly basis to mothers of students pursuing ITI, polytechnic, degree, engineering, medicine and other courses, without any limit on number of eligible children in a family. It also provides for boarding and lodging expenses. As per the break-up, an assistance of Rs 20,000 is extended to students pursuing degree, engineering and medicine Rs 15, 000 for polytechnic students and Rs 10,000 to ITI students in two instalments. The second tranche of ‘Jagananna Vasathi Deevena’ for this year will be deposited on April 11.

The government has so far paid Rs 13,311 crore towards 'Jagananna Vidya Deevena' and 'Jagananna Vasathi Deevena' schemes, including arrears of Rs 1,778 crore kept pending by the TD government since 2017.

The number of students who passed Intermediate but could not pursue further in 2018-19 was 81,813. However, with the effective implementation of the two schemes, the number has come down to 22,387 in 2022-23. The drop-out percentage in entry to higher education has dropped significantly from 20.37% in 2018-19 to 6.62% in 2022-23 against the national average of 27%.

The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for 2018-19 was recorded at 32.4, which increased to 37.2 in 2020-21. The average number of girls enrolling in colleges per 100 boys has increased from 81 in 2018-19 to 94 in 2020-21 (GPI). Campus placements have made a quantum jump from 37,000 in 2018-19 to 85,000 in 2021-22.