AMARAVATI: The state government has decided to extend total fee reimbursement to backward class and the physically disabled students.

Earlier, total fee reimbursement was given only to the SC, ST students. The cabinet chaired by chief minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday also decided to expand Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme to cover for grant of fee reimbursement to new courses including BEd, pharmacy and MTech.

“Fee reimbursement will be implemented to the complete satisfaction of students from economically backward sections and to the saturation level,” said information and public relations minister Perni Venkatramaiah (Nani) at the post-cabinet media briefing.
He said the cabinet also decided to grant financial aid under Jagananna Vasathi Deevana to ITI and polytechnic students to meet food and accommodation charges. Earlier, the government had decided to grant financial assistance under Vasathi Deevana to the degree students. While ITI students would get Rs 10,000 per year, polytechnic students would be given Rs 15,000 per year to meet accommodation and mess charges.
Similarly, the students pursuing degree and above courses would get Rs 20,000 per year. “The government will spend around Rs 2,300 crore for Vasathi Devena programme. We have spared nearly Rs 3,400 crore fee-reimbursement scheme against the previous government’s spending of around Rs 1,800 crore,” said Perni Nani.
The cabinet also cleared the decks for implementation of YSR Kapu Nestham scheme for extending Rs 15,000 annual financial assistance to Kapu women. The amount would be granted to Kapu women between 45-60 years to support their economic growth. The state government would spend Rs 1,101 crore. The government had already decided to spare around Rs 2,000 crore for the welfare of Kapus through the Kapu Corporation. The YSR Kapu Nestham would be implemented from the Kapu Corporation funds.
The cabinet stamped its approval to the enhancement of community health liaison workers’ salary in tribal areas to Rs 4,000 per month from Rs 400. The government will have an additional financial burden of Rs 14.46 crore to cover 2,652 health workers in Agency areas.
Minister Nani said the cabinet also approved the relaxation of guidelines for grant of rice, fee-reimbursement and Aarogyasri cards. He said the norms were relaxed to grant new ration cards to all the eligible families. He said the cabinet decided to increase the BPL families income limit from previous Rs 1.2 lakh for rural areas and Rs 1.44 lakh for urban areas to get the rice ration card. Earlier, the annual income limit was just Rs 60,000 for rural areas and Rs 72,000 for urban areas