Works for the second phase of the ‘Mana Badi-Nadu Nedu’ programme that envisages giving a facelift to educational institutions by improving the infrastructure, would start soon, Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, announced it at a review meeting held on Tuesday.
Mr. Jagan instructed the officials to make school buildings attractive places by painting their walls. He also examined the school kits comprising uniforms, notebooks, textbooks, a pair of shoes and two pairs of socks, a belt and a school bag) to be distributed to students under the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme.
‘Textbooks despatched’
He said the textbooks had been sent to the districts and from there, they would be distributed to students. The Chief Minister said the government would take all possible measures to start the schools in strict adherence to COVID-10 guidelines.
Later, speaking to the media, Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh, who attended the review meeting, said facilities at 14,584 educational institutions would be improved at a cost of ₹ 4,732 crore under the second phase, for which the works would start in January 2021 and completed by June the same year.
The Minister said the works taken up under the first phase of the programme that targeted improvement of conditions in nearly 15,000 schools, would be completed by the time the schools reopen for the current academic year.
Ambitious plans
The second and third phase of the programmes would cover the remaining 31,073 schools at an estimated cost of ₹7,700 crore.
In the second phase, 14,584 institutions would get a facelift and a sum of ₹ 4,732 crore had been earmarked for the purpose. The educational institutions that would benefit by the scheme would be identified by this month-end, the works would commence on January 14, 2021, and would be completed by June. Similarly, the third round would focus on development of 16,489 institutions at a cost of ₹2,969 crore. The works would be identified in June 30 next year, launched on November 14, 2021 and completed by March 31, 2022, he said.