G.O. 117 brought during YSRCP term kept poor students away from govt. schools, says HRD Minister Nara Lokesh

HRD Minister Nara Lokesh criticizes G.O. 117 for isolating poor students from government schools, announces ₹1,000 crore for infrastructure upgrades.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for HRD Nara Lokesh on Tuesday said that G.O. 117 introduced during 2019–24 had distanced poor students from government schools.

Replying to a question raised by MLA Gouthu Sirisha in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Lokesh stated that the present NDA government fulfilled its poll promise by revoking the order.

Mr. Lokesh noted that despite the Nadu-Nedu programme, 233 schools faced closure under the previous regime. He stressed the importance of strengthening the ‘One Class – One Teacher’ system, stating that its implementation increased to 33% from 3% earlier.

“The government has identified key infrastructure priorities, including leak-proof buildings, benches, toilets and drinking water facilities, and aims to upgrade all schools to at least three and four-star standards,” the HRD Minister said. Nearly ₹1,000 crore, including ₹200 crore available in the School Management Committee accounts and ₹800 crore allocated in the Budget, would be spent next year on school infrastructure, he added.

Replying to a question by Visakhapatnam South MLA Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas, BC Welfare Minister S. Savitha outlined measures taken for the socio-economic uplift of the Backward Classes. She said the government was preparing to launch Adarana 3.0 to promote entrepreneurship under the ‘One Family – One Entrepreneur’ policy.

She highlighted that over 84,000 students were studying in the BC hostels and nearly 40,000 in MJP Gurukulas, and that there were plans to establish 10 new institutions. “Substantial allocations have been made for scholarships and fee reimbursement,” the Minister said, adding that ₹31,331 crore had been extended under various DBT and welfare schemes, benefiting 1.59 crore BC beneficiaries across the State.