Andhra government school students to get Vidya Kanuka kits from today  

VIJAYAWADA: Putting an end to the earlier practice of delay and erratic supply of textbooks, school uniforms and other essentials to students studying in government schools, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday will launch the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme, under which kits will be provided to the government school students across the state. Students from classes 1 to 10 in government schools  will get the kits.

Though the government proposed to distribute the kits to the students on the first day of the school academic year, it was decided to distribute them ahead of the commencement of the classes to facilitate the students to get the cloth of uniform stitched by the time they start attending classes.

The state government is yet to take a call on reopening of schools, which was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. The academic year, most likely, will begin in November.   

Jagan will formally launch the scheme at Punapadu Government School in Krishna district. Officials said this was yet another step taken by the State government towards increasing the enrolment rate in government schools and bringing down dropout rate. Under the Vidya Kanuka, 42,34,322 kits will be distributed across the state, with an estimated cost of Rs 650 crore.

Officials said full transparency was maintained in the purchase of material through reverse tendering and e-procurement. Apart from distributing the kits, the government has also embarked on the Nadu-Nedu initiative to provide 10 basic facilities in all the schools before the commencement of the academic year. 

The facilities include construction of compound walls, black boards, fans and other furniture to give a new look to the government schools. 

What’s in the kit: 

Three pairs of uniform
One pair of shoes
Two pairs of socks
Textbooks, notebooks, belt, School bag
42,34,322 kits will be distributed across the state 
Rs 650 crore estimated cost of the scheme 
It is yet another step towards increasing the enrolment rate in government schools