Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approves several welfare schemes in meeting

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved the 'Jagan Anna Vidya Deevena' and other important welfare schemes for the state, said Minister of Information and Public Relations (I & PR) Perni Venkataramaiah on Wednesday.

The cabinet approved a fee reimbursement scheme named 'Jagan Anna Vidya Deevena' under which students of any community, the annual income of whose family is less than Rs 2.5 lakhs, is eligible for a 100 percent fee reimbursement. The cabinet also allocated Rs 3400 crores for this scheme for the present year, Venkataramaiah said at a press conference here.

Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Venkataramaiah said that the Jagan Anna Vasati Deevena' scheme, for helping students with their hostel and mess charges in the institutions, had also been approved.

The 'YSR Kapu Nestam' scheme was also approved under which the women from Kapu, Balija, Telaga and Ontari communities, between the age of 45 and 60 years, will be provided financial assistance of Rs 15,000 per annum.

The Andhra Pradesh government also released Rs 63 crores for 'Vahana Mitra scheme' phase 2 beneficiaries. Venkatramaiah released the funds during the press briefing.

Vahana Mitra is a welfare scheme for auto, taxi, maxi cab owners cum drivers under which the beneficiary will be given financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per annum for annual maintenance of their vehicles. The scheme was launched in September 2019, and more than 1.7 lakh applications were approved and sanctioned for the financial aid.

However, the state government relaxed some guidelines in October 2019 so that more owners cum drivers get benefited. In the 2nd phase, 65,054 people applied for the benefit, and 62,637 applications are approved. The minister has released the amount of benefit to the new beneficiaries today.

A total of 236 crores are distributed to the beneficiaries in these two phases. The minister said that the registration of beneficiaries will continue next year.