Rivals can cause no harm to me: Andhra CM Jagan
Amaravati, April 8 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday asserted that his rivals can cause no harm to him as long as he enjoys the mercy of God and the blessings of people.
Addressing a public meeting in Nandyal, he said though the opposition parties and a section of media were creating problems for him, nothing can unsettle and scare him.
"With God's mercy and your blessings, I, Jagan, have come to this position. As long as I have God's mercy and your blessings they can do no harm to me," he told the meeting amid loud cheers.
Referring to the malicious reports carried by a section of the media, he stated that they were unable to see the reforms and thus deliberately took up false campaigning to defame the government.
Jagan Mohan Reddy also slammed the Opposition and a section of the media for drawing controversy over the packaging of peanut chikki, which is being distributed in mid-day meals, and advised them not to be so jealous, as it can be fatal.
He said that the previous government had only spent Rs 500 crore on mid-day meals, while at present healthy, nutritious, and tasty meals are being provided at an expenditure of Rs 1,990 crore.
Asserting that poverty should not deprive a child from pursuing higher education, he credited Rs 1,024 crore into the bank accounts of mothers of 10,68,150 students under the second installment of Jagananna Vasathi Deevena for the academic year 2021-22.
He stated that only education has the power to change the world, eradicate poverty and backwardness of the society, which is why no child has to be deprived of education. In order to provide quality education for the students and to ease the financial burden on parents, the government has come up with Vidya Deevena reimbursing the college fees and Vasathi Deevena for boarding and hostel fees to the students.
He stated that many revolutionary reforms were brought in the education sector, right from improvising midday meals under Goru Muddha, to revamping infrastructure in schools through Nadu-Nedu, introduction of bi-lingual textbooks, and many more. Reiterating that the previous government had neglected the fee reimbursement scheme that was started by his father Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, he said that the current government is doing more than promised, fulfilling every need.
Affirming that Vasathi Deevena would benefit nearly 10.68 lakh students in the state, the chief minister said Rs 3,329 crore was spent alone on the scheme since the formation of YSRCP government and Rs 6,969 crore towards Vidya Deevena, besides clearing pending dues of Rs 1,778 crore of the TDP rule.
He revealed that the Gross Enrolment Ratio in colleges has increased to 35.2 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, registering a growth of 8.64 per cent against the national growth of 3 per cent.