Tribal Students Must Aspire for Top Civil Services, Says Sandhya Rani
5 Jun 2026 11:49 PM IST5 Jun 2026 11:49 PM IST
She urged students to focus on education, sports and personality development while staying away from drugs, betting and other harmful activities.
Minister for tribal welfare, women and child welfare Gummidi Sandhya Rani
Minister for tribal welfare, women and child welfare Gummidi Sandhya Rani on Friday called upon the tribal students to aim for prestigious careers such as the IAS and IPS, assuring them of the government’s continued support for education and welfare.
Addressing a felicitation programme at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada, the minister honoured meritorious SSC and Intermediate students, teachers and educational institutions for their performance in the March 2026 examinations. A total of 176 students, teachers and educational staff received merit awards.Sandhya Rani said the government was spending nearly `1 lakh annually on each tribal student while providing quality education and essential facilities. She said initiatives such as Talliki Vandanam, along with the supply of uniforms, shoes, books, trunk boxes and bedding, were aimed at supporting students from tribal communities.Congratulating high achievers, including P. Pardhu, who secured 591 marks out of 600, and S. Jasmine, who scored 590 out of 600, the minister said their success should motivate other students to pursue academic excellence.
She urged students to focus on education, sports and personality development while staying away from drugs, betting and other harmful activities.
Highlighting tribal welfare initiatives, Sandhya Rani said the government had allocated `2,500 crore for improving road connectivity in tribal areas. She also noted that coffee cultivation had been expanded across nearly two lakh acres following efforts to eliminate cannabis cultivation in tribal regions.
The minister commended students of Ettipotala Ashram School in Palnadu district for developing an award-winning prototype shoe capable of detecting snakes in advance. She assured support for innovative projects undertaken by tribal students.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, she appealed to citizens to plant and nurture a sapling in their mother’s name under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.
Social welfare and tribal welfare secretary M. Mallikarjuna Naik said tribal students were performing on par with open-category students and expressed confidence that pass percentages would exceed 90 per cent in the coming years.
Tribal welfare director S. Bhargavi said `1,672 crore had been allocated for tribal education, benefiting 2.14 lakh students studying in 2,712 institutions. Gurukulam secretary M. Gauthami said the MILE programme had contributed to a six-percentage-point improvement in SSC results.
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