Amaravati, Sep 23 Opposition YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council on Tuesday raised the issue of fee reimbursement dues and demanded the TDP-led coalition government to release the same immediately.
YSRCP MLCs moved an adjournment motion for a discussion on the issue, but it was rejected by Chairman K. Moshenu Raju.
The House witnessed an exchange of words between Education Minister Nara Lokesh and Leader of Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana.
The YSRCP leader took exception to certain words used by Lokesh and insisted on a debate. Lokesh countered him by claiming that the previous government of YSRCP had kept Rs 4,000 crore dues pending.
Lokesh told YSRCP that the dues were pending since Covid. He remarked that YSRCP moving an adjournment motion on the issue after keeping such a huge amount pending is ridiculous.
The minister also reminded Botsa Satyanarayana that the dues mounted when he was the education minister.
Stating that Rs 1,200 crore was released after the coalition government came to power, Lokesh told the House that the remaining dues would be cleared in three months.
Lokesh spoke on the issue to give details of the dues during the YSRCP rule, even as the Chairman reminded him that the adjournment motion on the issue was rejected.
The minister said the government was ready for a debate on the issue, provided it was raised in a proper format.
Lokesh wanted to know why YSRCP did not raise the issue during the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to include it in the agenda for the ongoing session. He alleged that since the YSRCP government had failed to clear the dues, the party did not want a discussion.
Botsa Satyanaryana termed Lokesh's claim of Rs 4,000 crore during the YSRCP rule as "far from the truth". He said non-release of pending dues was affecting the education of thousands of students.
During the question hour, Lokesh told the Council that the coalition government is implementing the 'Talli ki vandanam' scheme irrespective of the number of children. He said every mother was being provided Rs 15,000 annually for the education of each child.
YSRCP members tried to corner the government over the number of beneficiaries under the scheme. They claimed that many beneficiaries were not receiving the financial assistance.
However, Lokesh alleged that the previous YSRCP government did not implement the 'Amma Vodi' scheme properly, but under the coalition government, all beneficiaries are covered by ‘Talli ki vandanam’.
YSRCP MLCs said that the coalition government copied their scheme 'Amma Vodi', but only 54 lakh students are covered under the scheme, while it had promised to cover 67 lakh students.
Lokesh also answered questions on strengthening our library ecosystem across Andhra Pradesh. He announced that a world-class State Library will be built in Amaravati at a cost of Rs 150 crore. The library will be completed in 24 months.
Lokesh said that the Mangalagiri Model Library, now in its final stage, will be inaugurated in October. We will establish similar libraries in all 175 Assembly constituencies. "In parallel, we are expediting new book procurement, community reading programs for students, and digital libraries to foster a vibrant reading culture," he added.
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