In the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council on Tuesday, opposition YSR Congress Party members pushed hard for the TDP-led coalition government to release long-pending fee reimbursement dues right away. The issue heated up the session in Amaravati, sparking a lively debate on student education funding and past government promises.
YSRCP lawmakers, including Leader of Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana, tried to bring up the matter through an adjournment motion. But Chairman K. Moshenu Raju turned it down, keeping the discussion off the official agenda. That didn’t stop the back-and-forth, though—Education Minister Nara Lokesh and Botsa traded sharp words over the delays.
Botsa slammed the government for not acting fast, saying the holdup hurts thousands of students’ access to education. Lokesh fired back, pointing fingers at the previous YSRCP government for leaving behind a whopping Rs 4,000 crore in unpaid dues since the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s ridiculous for you to raise this now after sitting on such a huge backlog,” Lokesh told the opposition. He even reminded Botsa that the dues piled up when Botsa himself served as education minister.
Lokesh shared some good news too: The coalition has already cleared Rs 1,200 crore of the fee reimbursement dues since taking power. He promised the rest would follow within three months. Even though the motion got rejected, Lokesh dove into details on the YSRCP era’s shortcomings. He said the government is open to a full debate, but only if YSRCP brings it up the right way—like through the Business Advisory Committee. “Why didn’t you push for it there?” Lokesh asked, suggesting the opposition dodged it because their own record looked bad.
Botsa pushed back, calling Lokesh’s Rs 4,000 crore figure “way off base.” He stressed how the delays are directly blocking students from getting the support they need for school fees.
The session also tackled the ‘Talli ki vandanam’ scheme, a key education initiative from the coalition government. Lokesh explained it gives every mother Rs 15,000 a year per child, no matter how many kids they have. YSRCP members grilled him on how many families are actually benefiting, claiming many eligible parents aren’t seeing the money yet.
Lokesh defended the program, saying the previous YSRCP-run ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme fell short in reaching everyone. Under the new setup, he insisted, all intended beneficiaries get covered. YSRCP shot back that the coalition basically copied their idea but is only helping 54 lakh students so far—instead of the promised 67 lakh.
Shifting gears to building a stronger library system in Andhra Pradesh, Lokesh announced big plans. The government will construct a world-class State Library in Amaravati for Rs 150 crore, set to finish in just 24 months. He added that the Mangalagiri Model Library is nearly ready and will open its doors in October. “We’ll roll out similar modern libraries across all 175 assembly constituencies,” Lokesh said.
To boost reading habits statewide, the minister highlighted efforts to speed up new book purchases, launch community reading programs for kids, and set up digital libraries. These steps aim to create a lively culture of learning for students and families in Andhra Pradesh.
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