Andhra govt to supply 39 lakh school kits to children

As many as 39 lakh school-going children across Andhra Pradesh will be given school kits consisting of bags, uniforms, books and other supplies under the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office informed on Wednesday.

"This falls under the revamp of 15,715 schools under Phase 1 of the Mana Badi Nedu Nedu scheme that is nearing conclusion. Chief Minister (CM) Reddy reviewed the last leg of the phase at his Tadepalli camp office," the statement said.

It further informed that the chief minister was particular about providing mineral water facilities in every school and instructed the installation of mineral water plants, emphasising that the maintenance of the facility was equally important.

"There should not be any compromise over the quality of the school materials sent and maintaining proper hygiene should be the topmost priority,", the statement quoted Reddy as saying.

The Chief Minister was briefed about work for phases 2 and 3 of the remaining 31,073 educational institutions, and the cost was estimated at Rs 7,700 crore.

"The 2nd phase covering around 14,585 educational institutions will be identified by August 31, and in the third phase, around 16,489 educational institutions will be identified by June 30, 2021. The work will begin by November 14, 2021, and estimated to be completed by March 31, 2022," the statement said.

The government recently went public about its intention to incorporate coaching for competitive exams like focus on competitive exams.

"We will also be taking steps to enable students to face IIT and JEE entrance exams. These steps should be followed as a prescribed routine in Government institutions. The intention is very simple: giving students hailing from Government institutions a level playing field in a highly competitive world," the statement added.

( With inputs from ANI )