One year of Jagan Padayatra

Amaravati: The Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is going to launch the Jagannanna Amma Vodi, which is one of his flagship welfare schemes under the umbrella of Navaratnalu on Thursday. Interestingly, this is coinciding with the completion of one year of his odyssey of Praja Sankalpa Yatra at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district. He walked 3,648 km in the mass contact programme.

It is worth to mention on this occasion that, Jagan had started the padayatra at Idupulapaya in his native Kadapa district after paying homage at the grave of his father. The foot march took him across 125 Assembly segments in 13 districts of the state in 430 days. This yatra was started on November 6, 2017, and ended on January 9, 2019.

He had learnt about the problems of people while he was on his padayatra and people too had developed an affection for him, which gave a groundbreaking mandate to the YSRCP in the general elections.

The padayatra had totally changed his perspective on the troubles of the poor and farmers. He had then came up with an elaborate model of governance comprising welfare schemes. The Navaratnalu suggests that nine large-scale welfare programmes will percolate to the grassroots. Jagan, with vision and commitment, started implementing his manifesto.

He surged ahead with his two-pronged strategy of undoing the damage done by the previous TDP government on one side and going ahead with his party manifesto balancing welfare and development on the other side.

The Chief Minister is firm on providing education to every child in the state and the government will be launching the Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme that provides financial assistance of Rs 15,000 to all the mothers or guardians who send their children to school.

With the announcement of the scheme, student enrollment has increased by 30 per cent in the current academic year. The government in the fiscal year 2019-20 has allocated Rs 6455.80 crore budget for the scheme in which the financial assistance of Rs 15,000 will be provided to the mother or guardian who are below the poverty line, irrespective of the number of children in that family are studying in between class 1 to 12. The scheme is applicable from the academic year 2019-20 in all the government, private aided, private unaided schools, junior colleges that include residential schools and colleges as well in the state.

Social justice has come to the fore and could be seen in the composition of the cabinet with over 60 per cent of berths going to marginalised sections of society and four of the five Deputy Chief Minister posts going to the weaker sections. The State has also passed a Bill to provide 50 per cent reservations to SCs, STs, BCs, Minorities and Women in nominated posts and contract works.

Village Secretariats have turned a new leaf in public administration and Jagan has become the champion who could provide the mass recruitment drive by providing employment to about 4.5 lakh people.

The decision to introduce English medium from primary level in government schools will be supplemented by Amma Vodi, fees reimbursement, hostel and mess charges allowance, setting up of Skill Development Centres in Engineering Colleges and ITIs at all the 25 Parliamentary constituencies which come under the umbrella of Skill Development.

Nadu Nedu is the other scheme launched which aims at renovating the 45,000 government schools in three phases. Providing 75 per cent jobs for locals, breathing life into YSR Arogyasri and making it available in major cities, bringing all treatments which cost more than Rs 1,000 under the scheme, taking stern steps towards prohibition, bringing in Lok Ayukta, YSR Kanti Velugu and the YSR Rythu Bharosa, setting up of Market Stabilisation Fund which helped in supplying onions at Rs 25 per kg through Rythu Bazaars were all successfully implemented.