AP CM opens scheme to cut girl dropouts

Hyderabad, July 24 (UNI) In an effort to reduce dropouts by girl students leading to their early marriage, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today inaugurated 'Padmavati Ammavari Pushtaka Prasadam' scheme to provide free books to over one lakh girl students belonging to the BPL families.

Inaugurating the scheme, the Chief Minister said many parents of poor girls forced them to discontinue education after tenth and married them off early, leading to many health and social problems.

Praising the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) for supplementing the State Government's efforts in poverty alleviation, he said as many as 300 hostels would be constructed for girl students to pursue graduation courses this year.

TTD Chairman B Karunakar Reddy said the TTD was providing scholarships to all the BPL students, who had scored more than 500 out of 600 marks in the tenth class.

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