Jagananna Amma Vodi Scheme: What It Was and What Replaced It
If you search for the Jagananna Amma Vodi Scheme, you will find many pages describing it as if it were still running. It is not. The Andhra Pradesh Government has discontinued it, and the current government has replaced it with the Thalliki Vandanam Scheme. This post explains what Amma Vodi was and what mothers should do now.
Important update first
Under the new Thalliki Vandanam Scheme, eligible mothers or guardians can receive ₹15,000 per child per year, subject to the prescribed eligibility conditions. There is no application window to look for under Amma Vodi, because the scheme is no longer active. The source gives no further details of the new scheme’s rules, so please read the Thalliki Vandanam page or ask the School Education Department for current eligibility, documents and payment status.
What Amma Vodi was
The scheme was launched on 9 January 2019 as part of the state’s Navaratnalu programme. Its aim was to give mothers financial help so that children could stay in school without families worrying about education costs. The School Education Department ran it.
Mothers received ₹15,000 a year for their children’s education. It covered children studying in Classes 1 to 12 in government schools, private aided schools, private unaided schools and residential schools. There was no limit on the number of children in a family.
Who was eligible
The earlier rules were fairly detailed. A family had to be a permanent resident of Andhra Pradesh and hold a White Ration Card or Rice Card. Monthly family income had to be below ₹10,000 in rural areas or ₹12,000 in urban areas. The land limits were under 3 acres of wet land, under 10 acres of dry land, or 10 acres in total of both. Other conditions were:
- No family member was a government employee, government pensioner or PSU employee.
- No family member paid income tax.
- The family did not own a four-wheeler.
- Monthly electricity use was below 300 units.
- The family owned less than 1,000 square feet of residential or commercial area.
There were also features that helped some families. Families of government sanitary workers were eligible, and so were families owning a taxi, tractor or auto. A child needed 75% school attendance. If the mother had died, the money went to the guardian, and orphans and street children admitted to schools were also eligible. The mother’s Aadhaar was mandatory.
How it worked
Mothers did not have to apply. The School Education Department and the Board of Intermediate collected data on students from childinfo or UDISE, and a six-step validation checked eligibility. Lists of eligible and ineligible beneficiaries were displayed at the village secretariat for a social audit. A final list was prepared, sent to the District Collector for approval, and the mother’s e-KYC was done by biometrics. Payment then went to the mother’s bank account in January.
What this means for you
- If you used to receive Amma Vodi, do not wait for it. Look into Thalliki Vandanam instead.
- Do not trust websites or agents who offer to register you for Amma Vodi or ask for money. The scheme is discontinued.
- Keep your documents in order, since similar schemes have usually relied on identity, residence, student and bank details. The old document list included residence proof, Aadhaar of the mother or guardian and the child, a student ID, caste and income certificates, a ration card or BPL certificate, and bank account details. The new scheme may ask for different things, so confirm before you collect anything new.
- Ask your child’s school or the village or ward secretariat how Thalliki Vandanam enrolment works in your area.
Where to ask questions
The old Amma Vodi helplines were 1902, 9705655349 and 9705454869, and the email addresses were apcse@ap.gov.in and info@gsws.ap.gov.in. The source does not say whether these now serve the new scheme, but they are the School Education Department’s published contacts and a reasonable place to start.
Other education schemes
The source lists related Andhra Pradesh education schemes, including Jagananna Vidya Deevena, Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Videshi Vidya Deevena, along with central schemes such as the National Means Cum Merit Scholarship Scheme and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya. Check each one’s current status, since scheme names and rules in the state have been changing.