Hyderabad: The government is working on a plan to launch integrated residential schools by the next academic year. To achieve this, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has given officials a deadline to complete the construction of these schools within the next eight months. He emphasized the need to speed up the land acquisition process.
Deputy CM Bhatti, along with BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, held a meeting with officials from the Education Department and those overseeing SC, ST, BC, and minority residential schools. During the meeting, they discussed the requirement to acquire 15–25 acres of land in rural areas and 10–15 acres in urban areas. This land will be used to build 120 residential schools across 30 locations, with the project estimated to cost Rs 5,000 crore.
The Deputy CM stressed the importance of effective coordination with district collectors to secure the land needed for the schools. He also instructed that the designs for the schools should be prepared soon. Additionally, Bhatti announced that all students in government hostels and residential schools will be provided with cots. The hostels will also be equipped with essential amenities such as toilets, bathrooms, running water, electricity, doors, windows, and mosquito mesh for the windows. A checklist of these facilities will be created and displayed in every hostel to ensure they are provided.
Finally, the Deputy CM responded positively to Minister Prabhakar’s request for the immediate release of the second installment of overseas scholarships for students studying abroad. He asked officials to prepare a list of pending overseas scholarships in the SC, ST, BC, and Minority Departments. Bhatti announced that during this academic year, overseas scholarships would be granted to 800 BC students and 500 students each from the SC, ST, and minority communities.
