Jaganna Vasati Deevena from Feb 24

Amaravati: Jaganna Vasati Deevena programme would be inaugurated in Vizianagaram by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on February 24. It will provide Rs 20,000 twice a year to students pursuing higher studies to meet their lodging and boarding expenses.

This was revealed at a video conference held by the Chief Minister at Secretariat on Tuesday with the district collectors and SPs as part of the Spandana programme.

While 11,87,904 students would be benefited all over the state, 86,896 students would be from the polytechniques would be provided Rs 7,500 each amounting to Rs 15,00 per year, 53,720 from the ITIs would be provided Rs 5,000 each amounting to Rs 10,000 per year and Rs 10,000 each to 10,47,288 pursuing degree and other higher studies amounting to Rs 20,000 per year.

The amount would be deposited into the accounts of the mothers of the students and the total cost of the programme would be Rs 1139 crore.

Washermen, tailors and barbers who are maintaining shops would be given Rs 10,000 per year from March next, said the Chief Minister.

Women would also be given financial aid as part of the Kapu Nestham programme from March. The Chief Minister directed the officials to train the volunteers at the village secretariats into path-breakers and said they should clear the pension distribution in the first two days of March.

The Chief Minister directed to ensure that the 541 services being offered at the ward and village secretariats reach the people. He said loopholes found in this Spandana programme should be rectified by next week. Since the volunteers have mobile phones they have to ensure that there was no mismatch in the addresses.

With reference to house-site pattas, the Chief Minister said that 1,3,000 petitions out of over two lakh petitions for house-site pattas were cleared in the Spandana programme. He said there should be no complaints from anybody when he visits the villages very soon. He said lakhs of people had high hopes on getting house-site pattas and justice should be done to them.

The Chief Minister said that while the government was planning to provide house-site pattas to 25 lakh people, Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu was creating hurdles in the programme by telling his supporters through a tele-conference to stall the programme. He directed the officials to strive hard for land acquisition for the success of the programme. He said nobody should be left out under the programme as required funds would be provided by the government and to ensure a festive atmosphere in all the families by Ugadi.