Vijayawada: Chief secretary K Vijayanand on Tuesday directed officials of various welfare departments to expedite the admission process in all welfare hostels and residential schools across Andhra Pradesh. During a review at the Secretariat, Vijayanand scrutinised the operations of hostels and residential schools under the SC, ST, BC, and minority welfare departments, focusing on admissions, food quality, and overall management.

Addressing the officials, the chief secretary emphasised the mandatory integration of the Facial Recognition Attendance System (FRAS) with the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) for continuous monitoring in all welfare hostels and residential schools. He strictly warned against any compromise on the quality of food provided to students, stressing the importance of adhering to the existing diet menu and ensuring better meals.

Vijayanand laid particular emphasis on hygiene, instructing department officials to undertake special measures for the cleanliness of kitchen areas and the overall surroundings of hostels, in addition to daily cleaning routines. He also mandated frequent pest control measures in all hostels and residential schools to combat insects like cockroaches.

To further improve the functioning of these institutions, the Chief Secretary urged district collectors and state-level officials from the respective welfare departments to conduct frequent surprise inspections. He highlighted the need to ensure adequate provision of safe drinking water and well-maintained toilets.

Vijayanand expressed concern over recent incidents of students falling ill due to food quality and other reasons, directing strict measures to prevent any recurrence of such situations. He further instructed that quality bed sheets and carpets be distributed to all students in welfare hostels through APCO by the end of this month. Earlier in the meeting, SC and ST welfare secretary Y Nayak and BC welfare secretary S Satyanarayana briefed the chief secretary on the admission status, facilities and performance of their respective departments’ hostels and residential schools.

Minority welfare commissioner Ch Sridhar, BC welfare director Dr Mallikarjuna, AP social welfare residential educational Institutions secretary V Prasanna Venkatesh and others took part in the meeting.