Student Enrollment Increases By 30 Per Cent After Amma Vodi Scheme Announced

AMARAVATI : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch Jagananna Amma Vodi programme at PVKS Degree College grounds in Chittoor on Thursday which is to coincide with the completion of one year of his Praja Sankalpa Padayatra.

The Chief Minister is firm on providing education to every child in the state and the Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme is to provide financial assistance of Rs 15,000 to nearly 43 lakh mothers or guardians who send their children to school.

With the announcement of the scheme, student enrollment has increased by 30 per cent in the current academic year. On January 4, the government had issued a GO sanctioning Rs 15,000 financial assistance under ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ scheme.

The government in the fiscal year 2019-20 has allocated Rs 6455.80 crore budget for the scheme in which a financial assistance of Rs 15,000 will be provided to the mother or guardian who is below the poverty line, irrespective of the number of children in that family studying in between class 1 and 12.

The scheme is applicable from the academic year 2019-20 in all the government, private aided, private unaided schools/junior colleges that include residential schools and colleges as well in the state.

The scheme is not applicable to dropouts from school or colleges. The government employees and income taxpayers are also not eligible for the scheme.

Earlier, it was stated that the student requires to put in a minimum attendance of 75 per cent to avail the benefits of the Amma Vodi scheme, but the regulation has been waived at a review meeting held on January 6 by the Chief Minister for the first year of implementation to encourage the mothers to send their children to school.

The government has included orphans and streetchildren in this scheme who are studying in schools through voluntary organizations.

The financial assistance will be provided to these organizations in coordination with the department concerned.

The financial assistance of Rs 15,000 would be directly deposited in the beneficiaries' savings bank accounts in January every year until the child completes Class 12.

The GO on Amma Vodi says, for the transparency in the identification, the beneficiaries list would be displayed in village secretariats. The regional joint directors of the school education and intermediate board would submit periodical reports from time to time for proper monitoring. The district collectors will have the reports of the respective districts.

The district educational officer or vocational educational officer or regional educational officer would release the amount to the beneficiaries' savings bank account. The data of the beneficiaries under this scheme would be available with the village volunteer of the respective villages in the state.

Previously, the beneficiaries list was displayed in the village or ward secretariat for social audit on November 25. The village education assistant and village volunteers from November 25 to December 1 have collected the Aadhaar or enrollment numbers of students whose data was not submitted.

The second list was published in village secretariats by December 9 and the final list on December 15 and was cleared by village or ward secretariats by December 18. By December 24, the headmasters had submitted the final list to the district collector for approval.

Initially, the Amma Vodi scheme was announced only for school students but after a review by the experts, the Chief Minister decided to extend the scheme to intermediate students also.

Despite the announced enrollment deadline of November 19, due to server error, the government had extended the deadline of the Amma Vodi scheme till 5 pm, November 20.

Also Read : AP Fishermen Released From Pakistan Jail, Meet YS Jagan