Vijayawada: Social Welfare Minister Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy said that the Coalition government under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is steering Andhra Pradesh towards a new era of welfare governance focused on social justice, equal opportunities, and the comprehensive empowerment of marginalised sections.
Addressing the media at the Secretariat in Velagapudi on Wednesday, Swamy said the government believes that sustainable social and economic equality can only be achieved by strengthening education, skill development, employment, healthcare, and dignified living standards.
He noted that the Social Welfare Department is implementing a range of reforms through residential schools, hostels, study circles, scholarships, skill development programmes, disability welfare initiatives, and the Swarna Gramam and Ward Secretariat systems.
Swamy said educational standards in Social Welfare Residential Schools and Hostels have improved significantly, with SSC pass percentages reaching 85.32 per cent and Intermediate pass percentages 72.30 per cent.
Residential schools recorded 89 per cent success in SSC examinations and 92 per cent in Intermediate examinations. He said 45 students scored more than 950 marks in Intermediate, while a hostel student secured 591 marks in SSC.
Highlighting the government's commitment to educational empowerment, the Minister said `1,543.17 crore has been released towards fee reimbursement under Post-Matric Scholarships, benefiting 5.40 lakh Scheduled Caste students pursuing higher education. Under the "Talliki Vandanam" scheme, `326.74 crore has been provided to 2.51 lakh pre-matric students.
The Minister also detailed infrastructure improvements undertaken in hostels across the state. Development and repair works worth ?104.96 crore have been completed in 774 hostels. Facilities such as RO drinking water plants, sanitation systems, housekeeping services, and AI-enabled CCTV surveillance have been introduced to improve student safety and living conditions.
The government is also offering free coaching for competitive examinations such as NEET, JEE, Civil Services, Group examinations, and DSC. According to the minister, 331 candidates trained under the DSC coaching programme got teacher posts.
Referring to budgetary allocations, the Minister said `26,044 crore has been earmarked under the SC Sub-Plan for 2024-25, representing a 10 percent increase over the previous government's allocation. He added that the state has achieved record progress in both allocation and utilization of SC Sub-Plan funds.