HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao on Wednesday sought to clarify that the Saakshar Bharat programme was abruptly concluded by the Centre and not the State Government.
He was responding to media reports quoting BJP Floor leader in the Assembly P. Vishnu Kumar Raju ,who accused the Chandrababu Naidu government of depriving nearly 20,000 people of jobs by abruptly winding up the educational programme.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the Centre had stopped release of funds for implementation of the programme in September last year but the State continued it till March this year.
The Minister clarified that it was only a temporary halt and that the Government intended to revive it in a more systematic way.
