CM Jagan to deposit ₹694 crore to 11.02 lakh students, to address public meet

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch the fourth phase of the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme on Wednesday at Madanapalle in Annamayya district and address a public meeting.

The Chief Minister would deposit Rs 694 crore directly into the accounts of students’ mothers by pressing a button in Madanapalle. The amounts are for the quarter of July — September 2022 for 11.02 lakh students.

This is the Chief Minister’s maiden visit to Annamayya district after its
formation this year. Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister  Narayana Swamy, collector P.S. Girisha and SP Harshavardhan Raju, as also local MLAs and senior government officials held a review meeting on the arrangements for the Chief Minister’s visit.

The officials said that the previous government left Rs 1,778 crore as arrears from 2017 due to the partial fee reimbursement. The Jagan-led YSRC government cleared the pending dues. So far, the total assistance from this government under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Jagananna Vasati Deevena was Rs 12,401 crore.

There are no limits to the Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Jagananna Vasati Deevena schemes offered by the present government to help poor students pursue higher studies. Under this, all students in the family will be eligible to get the benefits of the two schemes.

The officials said the government, through the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme, has been directly depositing the full fees payable to the colleges by the poor students studying ITI, polytechnic, degree, engineering, medicine and other courses, into the accounts of the mothers of the students regularly after the end of that quarter. “This is with the lofty goal of making the poor students also pursue higher studies,” they stressed.

Under Vasati Deevena, ITI students are getting Rs 10,000 in two instalments every year, so as to be without any worry about their food and lodging expenses while pursuing higher education. The polytechnic students are getting Rs 15,000 and students of degree, engineering, medicine and other courses are receiving Rs 20,000 as financial aid.

Directly depositing the financial aid into the accounts of these students' mothers gives the mothers the right to question their children and in increasing accountability in colleges.

The arrears of the previous government were about Rs 1,778 crore and the present government under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme has paid Rs 9,052 crore. Under the Vasati Deevena, the government paid the beneficiaries Rs 3,349 crore. The total financial assistance provided by the government for the students was Rs 12,401 crore.