No guidelines yet for Amma Vodi scheme

Kakinada: Education department officials and parents of schoolchildren are waiting for guidelines on Amma Vodi scheme. Parents of many students are asking the officials about the scheme to get the benefit by submitting their data.

The scheme is scheduled to be implemented from January 26, the Republic Day. Education department officials are yet to receive norms for the implementation of scheme as they have to collect details of 7.31 lakh students from Class I to Class X in the district and prepare list of beneficiaries before that date. The scheme, under which parents of both government and private school students will get Rs 15,000 a year, requires mother of student to have a bank account.

There is no clarity on whether the headmasters of government private schools will submit the data of beneficiaries or the newly appointed village volunteers will be entrusted with the task or data will be collected online. Most of the women have no bank account as many Jan Dhan accounts opened have now gone defunct owing to non-operation.

United Teachers Federation (UTF) audit committee chairman S Sattiraju said the government should start the process for Amma Vodi programme on a war footing basis in order to finalise lists of beneficiaries by the stipulated date.

"Otherwise, it will be very cumbersome exercise for the education department officials as teachers as the examination season will begin in coming months which will leave no time for teachers and students," he said.

He said that the district officials have started process for 'Housing for All' scheme which is to be started by Ugadi by identifying lands and sites but there has been no movement on Amma Vodi which should commence before the housing scheme, i.e. in January.

When contacted, district education officer S Abraham told The Hans India that nearly 25,000 students have newly-enrolled in government schools this academic year and they would also be eligible for the scheme. However, he said the department has not received any guidelines from the government so far for its implementation.