The Congress government’s claim of a 40% hike in diet charges for government hostel students is outright misleading. The actual increase is only 10%, not the exaggerated 40% claimed by Congress leaders.
The misrepresentation relies on outdated rates from 2017, creating a false narrative around the latest 2024 adjustments. In reality, the previous BRS government had already implemented an increase in diet charges in July 2023.
In July 2023, former CM KCR increased the diet charges from Rs. 950 to Rs. 1,200, Rs. 1,100 to Rs. 1,400, and Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 1,875 for students in classes 3-7, 8-10, and intermediate to PG, respectively, marking a hike of around 26%.
This hike has benefited nearly 7.5 lakh students in welfare hostels such as Tribal Welfare, SC Welfare, BC Welfare Gurukuls, and other institutions. The KCR government implemented the increase to meet students’ nutritional needs, despite an additional Rs. 237.24 crore burden on the state exchequer.
Now, the Revanth government has only increased the diet charges from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,330, Rs. 1,400 to Rs. 1,540, and Rs. 1,875 to Rs. 2,100 for classes 3-7, 8-10, and intermediate to PG, respectively.
However, the Congress government is even claiming credit for the hike implemented during the BRS rule, purportedly in a bid to mislead the public and divert attention from other pressing issues.