Babus twist Chief Minister’s pet Bill

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Hyderabad: State bureaucrats have taken the sheen out of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s pet scheme, Bangaru Talli. The Bill to provide legislative backing for the scheme was passed by the Assembly on Wednesday, but without some of the provisions that the CM wanted incorporated.
The AP Bangaru Talli Girl Child Promotion and Empowerment Bill, 2013, which Congressmen claim is a historical legislation on the lines of the SC/ST Sub-Plan, will ensure annual financial assistance to girl children of BPL families to live a healthy life and pursue education besides a lump sum amount depending on completion of Plus-2 and graduation.
Ignoring the Chief Minister’s clear instructions that the scheme must apply to all BPL girl children, irrespective of whether they are studying in government or private primary schools, officials drafting the Bill restricted the benefit to students who have been to government institutions for at least eight years.
Botsa recommendations taken
The AP Bangaru Talli Girl Child Promotion and Empowerment Bill, 2013, drafted by state bureaucrats states that the girl child shall have “five years of primary education in government schools, followed by three years upper primary education and two years of high school education in any educational institution in the manner prescribed.”
Before entering primary school, the Bill says, the girl child should have three years pre-school in state-run anganwadi centres. This makes eight years of study in state-run institutions compulsory. Sources said the provision to limit the benefit to girl students studying in government-run schools was based on the suggestions of PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana, who is one of the critics of the scheme.
The CM had disagreed with the provision as nearly 40 per cent of students at the primary level study in private schools. A section of officials also cautioned that it would lead to discrimination as parents would be tempted to send the male child to a private school and the girl child to a government school to avail of the benefits of the Bangaru Talli scheme.
The officials, however, did not make the changes as directed by the CM and sent the Bill to women and child welfare minister V. Sunita Lakshma Reddy to introduce in the Assembly. The Bill also states that only girl children born through institutional delivery, i.e. in a hospital, are eligible for the scheme.
Ironically, the minister was unaware of the provision till this newspaper brought to her notice. After making enquiries with officials, she announced in the House that the scheme would be extended to private school students.
But it is not as easy. “A mere announcement in the House is not sufficient. For the Bill to stand legal scrutiny, an amendment should be passed,” a former chief secretary said.