Chief Secretary Calls For Swift Admissions, Real-Time Attendance, And Hostel Monitoring

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand has directed officials of the respective welfare departments to expedite the admission process in various welfare hostels and residential schools across the state.

During a review meeting held on Tuesday at the State Secretariat in Velagapudi, Amaravati, he examined the functioning of hostels and residential schools under the SC, ST, BC and Minority welfare departments, focusing on admissions, food facilities, and overall management.

The Chief Secretary stated that all welfare hostels and residential schools must mandatorily integrate the Facial Recognition Attendance System (FRAS) with the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) and ensure continuous monitoring. He stressed the importance of providing quality meals in line with the prescribed diet menu and insisted that no compromise on food quality would be tolerated.

He instructed the departments concerned to maintain cleanliness in hostel surroundings, including the kitchens, through daily cleaning routines. He also emphasised the need for comprehensive pest control measures in all hostels and residential schools to manage pests such as cockroaches.

Vijayanand directed district collectors and senior state officials from the respective welfare departments to conduct regular surprise inspections. He said that food, drinking water and toilet facilities must be ensured, especially as incidents of students falling ill due to poor food quality and other factors had been reported in recent times. Strict measures must be taken to prevent such issues from recurring, he added.

The Chief Secretary also instructed that high-quality bed sheets and carpets should be distributed to all students in welfare hostels through APCO by the end of this month.

SC and ST welfare secretary Y. Nayak and BC welfare secretary S. Satyanarayana gave detailed presentations on hostel admissions, facilities provided, and institutional performance.

Minority welfare commissioner Ch. Sridhar, BC welfare director Dr. A. Mallikarjuna, AP Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions secretary V. Prasanna Venkatesh, women and child welfare director M. Venugopal Reddy, social welfare director B. Lavanya Veni, Swachh Andhra Corporation MD Anil Kumar Reddy, tribal welfare director Bhargavi, RTGS CEO Prakhar Jain, Gurukul Society secretary Gauthami, and BC Welfare Residential Society secretary Madhavilatha also participated in the review meeting.