Jagan gifts tablets to 8th class students on his 50th b'day

AP government is spending Rs 19,617 crore on Jagananna Amma Vodi, Rs 9,051 crore on Vidya Deevena, Rs 3,349 crore on Vasanthi Devevena, Rs 2,368 crore on Jagananna Vidya Kanuka, Rs 4,895 crore on YSR Sampoorna Poshana and Rs 32 crore under Swechha

Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy celebrated his 50th birthday in Bapatla district by distributing tablets with preloaded content by leading edutech company Byju's to eighth class students and a section of teachers on Wednesday even as his supporters observed the day with donation of blood, plantation of saplings, other community services and cutting huge cakes at various places in the world.

Twitterati was flooded with messages and photos of the celebrations by his supporters and activists of the ruling YSR Congress Party. Party leaders also praised him skyhigh by addressing him as leader of masses, champion of social justice and architect of Navaratnalu.

Addressing a meeting in Bapatla district, Reddy said his government is firm in ushering in a digital revolution and explained that tablets with content and bi-lingual text-books are distributed to all the students of government and aided schools irrespective of class in which they are studying to improve their employment quotient. He said distribution of tablets to eighth class students will be completed within a week.

"He is doing yeoman service and determined to improve education standards by making English curriculum compulsory and offering fees reimbursement to all the students unlike the erstwhile TDP Government, which was engaged in only publicity stunts," Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana said.

"He is a dynamic leader who has emerged as a role model in taking up multiple pro-poor welfare schemes," said Government Advisor (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.

The government is distributing 5.18 lakh Samsung tabs worth Rs 688 crore with preloaded Byju's content worth Rs 778 crore to 4.59 lakh students and 59,176 teachers of eighth standard. The total benefit is estimated at Rs 1,466 crore. The function to launch the tablet distribution programme was held at Edipalli in Tsundur mandal of Bapatla district.

The Chief Minister said every eighth class student will get a benefit by Rs 32,000 including the tablet costing Rs 16,500. The government is providing Byju's content worth Rs 4,960 crore to 32 lakh students studying fourth to 10th class. He said the government is spending Rs 19,617 crore on Jagananna Amma Vodi, Rs 9,051 crore on Vidya Deevena, Rs 3,349 crore on Vasanthi Devevena, Rs 2,368 crore on Jagananna Vidya Kanuka, Rs 4,895 crore on YSR Sampoorna Poshana and Rs 32 crore under Swechha (sanitary napkins to menstruating girls).

He said unlike the previous governments, the YSRCP Government has dispensed with feudal approach and initiated a series of revolutionary steps to improve the teaching standards by making CBSE syllabus compulsory for all students in the government and aided schools.