₹221 crore sanctioned to set up 65 new welfare hostels in A.P., says Minister

Social Welfare Minister announces construction of 65 new hostels in Andhra Pradesh, with funds allocated for maintenance and improvements.

Social Welfare Minister Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, who said in the Assembly recently that 65 new welfare hostels would be constructed in Andhra Pradesh, revealed that the Central government has already sanctioned ₹206 crore and the State government allocated ₹15 crore in the recent Budget, for the purpose.

“The locations have been identified by the government for setting up the welfare hostels across the State. Though financial clearance has been done, the proposal has been delayed due to a technical issue. The tenders will be called in January and the construction work will be started in this fiscal year,” the Minister told The Hindu on November 16, 2024, (Saturday).

On maintenance of the existing hostel buildings, the Minister said: “The government has allocated ₹143 crore for the maintenance of 840 welfare hostels in the State. The funds have been sanctioned and can be utilised by December first week. The works will be completed within the next couple of months.”

He alleged that the social welfare hostels were almost dysfunctional during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime. “The YSRCP government had allocated only ₹2.69 crore for the maintenance of welfare hostels per year. After the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power, we are spending ₹2 crore for the hostels in one district (Palnadu),” he said.

Mr. Veeranjaneya Swamy asserted that the NDA government had taken several steps to provide quality education and better facilities to students. “We are providing job opportunities to local youth as tutors in hostels. Various benefits such as cosmetic charges, scholarships, and fee reimbursements are being credited directly to students’ accounts,” he added.

‘’A special medical officer has been appointed for the welfare hostels in each district to take care of the health of the students. We have saved the lives of seven to eight critically ill patients by offering better treatment with the help of corporate hospitals and charity groups,” the Minister said.