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**Andhra Pradesh Ditches Political Branding, Distributes School Kits with Focus on Quality and Transparency**

**Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh – July 6, 2025** – The Andhra Pradesh government has distributed 35.94 lakh “Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyarthi Mithra Kits” to students in Classes 1 to 10 in government and aided schools for the current academic year. The total expenditure for the initiative reached ₹953.71 crore, with ₹778.68 crore contributed by the state government and ₹175.03 crore by the central government.

Each kit, valued at approximately ₹2,279, includes three sets of uniform cloth, shoes, socks, a belt, a school bag, textbooks, workbooks, and notebooks. Class 6 students will also receive an Oxford English-English-Telugu dictionary, while Class 1 students will get a pictorial dictionary. Dictionaries in Urdu, Tamil, and Odia will also be provided where applicable.

A key feature of this year’s distribution is the enhanced focus on quality. The government partnered with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to conduct a rigorous three-stage quality check covering raw materials, production, and packaging.

This initiative marks a shift from the previous government’s “Jagananna Vidya Kanuka” scheme, which was heavily branded with the image and name of the former Chief Minister. The current TDP-led NDA government emphasizes that education should be free from political influence. “The focus of the TDP-led NDA government in the State is on keeping politics away from education. We want schoolchildren to do their learning without labels,” said a statement released by the Department of School Education.

The government also highlighted savings of ₹63.80 crore compared to the previous year, achieved through an online e-procurement system for tenders, which ensured complete transparency and efficiency.

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