Rs 1,543 Crore Scholarship Aid Reaches 5.4 Lakh SC Students

Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh government has released Rs 1,543.17 crore towards fee reimbursement under post-matric scholarships, benefiting 5.40 lakh Scheduled Caste students pursuing higher education.

Social welfare minister Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy stated this here on Wednesday.

Addressing the media at the Secretariat, the minister said another Rs 326.74 crore had been provided to 2.51 lakh pre-matric students under the Thalliki Vandanam programme.

Swamy claimed the state government was implementing a social justice agenda focused on education, employment, welfare and empowerment of weaker sections.

Educational opportunities, he said, are being strengthened through scholarships, residential schools, hostels, study circles and free coaching for competitive examinations, including NEET, JEE, Civil Services, Groups and DSC. Of the 2,000 candidates trained under the DSC coaching programme, 331 secured teaching jobs.

The minister said educational standards in social welfare residential schools and hostels had improved. Pass percentages stood at 85.32 per cent in SSC and 72.30 per cent in Intermediate examinations, while residential schools recorded 89 per cent and 92 per cent pass rates respectively.

Forty-five students scored more than 950 marks in the Intermediate examinations.

To improve infrastructure, the minister said, the government spent Rs 104.96 crore on repairs and development works in 774 hostels. Facilities including RO plants, mechanised kitchens, sanitation systems, housekeeping services and AI-based CCTV surveillance have been introduced in 989 hostels to improve student safety and living conditions.

Highlighting the welfare measures for persons with disabilities, Swamy said assistive devices had been distributed to 52,263 beneficiaries and recruitment had begun for 329 backlog posts. Disability pensions had been enhanced to `6,000 per month, while accessibility facilities were being created in Collectorate offices.

The minister said Rs 26,044 crore had been allocated under the SC Sub-Plan for 2024-25, which he said was 10 per cent higher than the allocation made by the previous government.

He added that under the Swarna Gramam and Ward system, mapping of 1.68 crore houses and e-KYC verification of 1.71 crore families had been completed to ensure transparent and citizen-centric governance..