BRS Gurukul Bata pushes Congress Govt into damage control mode

With the campaign hitting it further, the government has now embarked on a damage control mission.

Hyderabad: The deteriorating conditions in welfare hostels across the State have dented the government’s image considerably. With disillusionment spreading among the student community and their parents left distressed, the BRS had launched a massive campaign, “Gurukul Bata,” to expose the government’s failures.

With the campaign hitting it further, the government has now embarked on a damage control mission.

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Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who also holds the education portfolio, has faced criticism for the worsening state of affairs in welfare hostels. In an effort to address these issues, he has initiated a series of visits to welfare hostels across the State, aiming to stir the official machinery into action. This exercise is viewed by many as a late awakening.

Since the Congress party took office, there have been numerous tragic incidents involving hostel students. According to sources, 51 students have died in welfare institutions, with causes ranging from food poisoning and ill-health and other suspicious circumstances. Of these, 42 deaths have been attributed to gross negligence in managing residential welfare schools.

Reports of substandard food, including worm-infested rice, watery dal, and contaminated snacks, have become alarmingly common, leading to cases of food poisoning and hospitalization.

Telangana‘s residential schools currently house approximately 1,39,290 students. These students rely on the government for their education and well-being, making the recent issues even more concerning. The recent deaths and ongoing health concerns have sparked widespread outrage and people started demanding for accountability.

They are calling for better living conditions, nutritious meals, and a safer environment for their children. The government’s move to inspect the hostels is a step towards addressing these demands, but the public remains skeptical about the effectiveness of these visits.

A fact-finding team led by senior BRS leaders, including R.S. Praveen Kumar, Errolla Srinivas, Anjaneya Goud, and Gellu Srinivas Yadav, visited various Gurukula schools and welfare hostels. They interacted with students and parents, documenting their grievances and highlighting the lack of basic amenities such as clean water, quality food, and proper facilities.

The team reported that some schools even prevented them from meeting the students by locking the gates, which they condemned as an attempt to hide the issues.

During the BRS regime, welfare hostels were known for their facilities and student community thriving in studies and extra-curricular activities with students competing for seats in Gurukula schools. Under the current Congress administration, the situation has worsened.

BRS working president, K T Rama Rao said the students from welfare hostels were now competing for hospital beds. He said that the Chief Minister A Revath Reddy and his team should focus on implementing immediate corrective measures to prevent further tragedies.

Ministers visit different government schools to have lunch with students

As part of the State government’s common diet launch programme in government and residential schools on Saturday, Ministers, MLAs and elected public representatives visited different schools and had lunch with students. After aunching the common diet programme at the Telangana Social Welfare Residential School, Chilkur, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had lunch with the students there.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar visited the Social Welfare School for Boys at Shaikpet in the city. After formally launching the programme at the school, he had lunch along with students.

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy had lunch with students at Social Welfare Residential School for girls in Secunderabad. When students appealed for additional laboratory rooms, solar water heaters and inverters in the school, the Minister assured to get the funds released from the government.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka visited the Mahatma Jyotibha Phule Gurukul in Madira constituency and had lunch with students.