Chittoor making rapid strides in education, health, says Lanka Dinakar

Chairman of the Twenty-Point Programme (Swarna Andhra – Viksit Bharat) Lanka Dinakar reviewed the progress of key education and health programmes in Chittoor district on Tuesday. District Collector Sumit Kumar, Chittoor Mayor Amudha and senior officials attended the meeting.

Mr. Dinakar said Chittoor must emerge as a front-runner in achieving the Vidya Vaidya – Swarna Andhra targets aligned with the State’s development agenda and the national Viksit Bharat vision. He added that the district was delivering strong results in education and health and stressed the need for full implementation of National Health Mission programmes and Ayushman Bharat-Dr NTR Arogya Seva.

He said that schemes like Talli Ki Vandanam and Dokka Seethamma Mid-Day Meal programme had significantly reduced school dropout rates, while infrastructure was improving under PM SHRI – Mana Badi Mana Bhavishyathu. Regular parent-teacher meetings were helping enhance learning outcomes, nutrition quality and school facilities.

Mr. Dinakar instructed the officials to prioritise safe drinking water under the Jal Jeevan Mission and speed up AMRUT 2.0 planning. He also sought faster implementation of PM Surya Ghar.

He said that key achievements highlighted include 100% institutional deliveries, with IMR at 6.20 and MMR at 21.33 — both below the State average. Since 2024, ₹436 crore had been spent on treatment for 2.30 lakh patients under Ayushman Bharat and NTR Arogya Seva. Nearly 95% PMJAY cards had been distributed, with door-to-door delivery ordered for the remaining beneficiaries, including 1.61 lakh senior citizens.

Under the School Eye Screening programme, 57,000 students have been examined, 3,400 spectacles provided, and 524 surgeries completed. Talli Ki Vandanam had extended ₹334 crore assistance to 2.23 lakh students. Of the 134 works taken up under PM SHRI and Mana Badi, 97 were completed at a cost of ₹4.5 crore. Around 1.30 lakh students are benefiting from the Dokka Seethamma Mid-Day Meal scheme, which includes eggs five days a week, Mr. Dinakar said.