Inter students too to get mid-day meal

Amaravati: The state government has decided to extend midday meal scheme to students of Intermediate course too and provide breakfast to school students in addition to the midday meal to them. A proposal to this effect from the education department was accepted by finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu during pre-budget discussions.

Ramakrishnudu said that the state government would give more priority to education and youth in the next budget. Addressing pre-budget review meeting with officials at the Secretariat on Monday, he said the state government was focusing on reducing dropout rate in schools and colleges.

Bicycles would be provided to Class VIII girl students under Badikosta Scheme, he said. The government was also considering starting allowance for unemployed soon and departments were asked to submit details of unemployed youth, Yanamala said.

He also agreed to provide tabs to the merit students of SSC. He added that focus would be laid on skill development programmes to benefit youth and sports kits would be supplied to every village. The finance minister suggested that tourism department officials give priority to private-public partnership in tourism projects and directed it to take steps to arrange museums on Bhavani Island in Vijayawada to attract children.

The minister expressed satisfaction over the pace of housing construction across the state and agreed to allocate more funds for construction of roads. Ministers Kalava Srinivasulu, Bhuma Akhila Priya, Kollu Ravindra, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Sidda Raghava Rao and Ayyannapatrudu, special C S L V Subramayam, principal secretaries Adityanath Das and Neerabh Kumar were present.