*Clear Thalliki Vandanam dues before budget session ends: Botsa*

Amaravathi, Feb 12: Legislative Council Opposition Leader Botsa Satyanarayana demanded that the coalition government immediately clear all pending Thalliki Vandanam dues before the conclusion of the budget session,stating that the government has failed to honour its promise of providing Rs.15,000 per student. Speaking to the media at the Assembly media point, he said the government skipped payments entirely in the first year and, in the second year, limited assistance to Rs.13,000, while over 15% of students reportedly received only Rs.8,000 or Rs.9,000. He accused the government of misleading families by promising Rs.15,000 for every child but not delivering the full amount to any beneficiary and excluding a significant share of students from the scheme. He further criticised the government for allotting valuable public lands to private entities at throwaway prices of 99 paise in the name of industrial development, alleging that land allocation rules are being ignored and that prime government lands are being handed to associates and benamis. He cited cases involving companies such as Lulu, Sattva and Ursa, and alleged that 55 acres of government land worth about Rs.5,000 crore linked to GITAM institutions associated with the Chief Minister’s family were being regularised despite encroachment concerns, questioning whether free land allotments to relatives would truly bring industrial growth. Botsa also said the government admitted that not a single new social pension had been sanctioned in 20 months and was evading clarity on timelines. He stated that the renaming of the Amma Vodi scheme as Thalliki Vandanam had diluted and weakened the programme, and warned that policy failures were pushing many students away from education, urging the government to release all arrears without delay. Clear Thalliki Vandanam Dues Before Budget Session Ends: Botsa

Secretariat, Feb 12: Legislative Council Opposition Leader Botsa Satyanarayana demanded that the coalition government immediately clear all pending Thalliki Vandanam dues before the conclusion of the budget session, alleging that the government has failed to honour its promise of providing Rs.15,000 per student. Speaking to the media at the Assembly media point, he said the government skipped payments entirely in the first year and, in the second year, limited assistance to Rs.13,000, while over 15% of students reportedly received only Rs.8,000 or Rs.9,000. He accused the government of misleading families by promising Rs.15,000 for every child but not delivering the full amount to any beneficiary and excluding a significant share of students from the scheme. He further criticised the government for allotting valuable public lands to private entities at throwaway prices of 99 paise in the name of industrial development, alleging that land allocation rules are being ignored and that prime government lands are being handed to associates and benamis. He cited cases involving companies such as Lulu, Sattva and Ursa, and alleged that 55 acres of government land worth about Rs.5,000 crore linked to GITAM institutions associated with the Chief Minister’s family were being regularised despite encroachment concerns, questioning whether free land allotments to relatives would truly bring industrial growth. Botsa also said the government admitted that not a single new social pension had been sanctioned in 20 months and was evading clarity on timelines. He stated that the renaming of the Amma Vodi scheme as Thalliki Vandanam had diluted and weakened the programme, and warned that policy failures were pushing many students away from education, urging the government to release all arrears without delay.