Lakhs of college students in Andhra Pradesh are now worried as their managements are now pressurizing them to pay the fees as money was not deposited in mothers’ accounts even after pressing the button by former chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy under `Jagananna Vidya Divena’, nearly four months ago.
With the change of government in the state without paying the post matric scholarship dues of lakhs of students, their future is hanging in confusion. Jaganmohan Reddy pressed button in March at an event held in Pamarru releasing funds for Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme.
Though he claimed to release funds for the second installment even before the election schedule, the money did not reach the joint accounts of the students. The newly formed government has changed the names of the welfare schemes to the pre-2019 names. There is no clarity about the payment of scholarship dues.
Post matric scholarships for students are paid quarterly. Rs.708.68 crore was released to 9,44,666 students for the quarter of October-December 2023 at the press of a button in a program held in Palmeru of Krishna district last March. Earlier tuition fees were directly received by the colleges.
But it has been decided to deposit the money in the joint accounts opened in the name of the student along with the mother as there are irregularities. Even if the button was pressed before the election schedule, the money did not go into their accounts until the results were released.
Although they boasted that they are implementing Vidya Deevena scheme intending that education be used to break the shackles of poverty, the money was not received by the students. Thousands of crores of rupees were paid to the contractors while the Election Code was in force, but the student fee was ignored.
Jagan said that he has done good to 9.45 lakh children who are studying in higher education across the state, that is, 93 percent of the total number of children who are studying in higher education. He said that Rs.12,609 crores have been spent on education in five years including Rs.708 crores released by pressing the button of the last tranche.
