46 Student Deaths Expose Welfare Hostel System Collapse Under Naidu Regime

Former minister Vidadala Rajini on Friday launched a blistering attack on the coalition government led by Chandrababu Naidu, accusing it of systematically destroying the welfare hostel system and pushing vulnerable students to their deaths through what she termed “criminal neglect.”

Addressing the media at the YSR Congress Party central office in Tadepalli, Rajini alleged that 46 students from BC, SC and ST welfare hostels have died in the last 18 months, calling these deaths “not accidental, but directly caused by government failure.”

“The state has abdicated its responsibility. These children died because the government chose neglect over duty,” she said, holding the coalition regime squarely accountable.

No Water, Unsafe Food, Zero Accountability

Rajini accused the government of failing to provide even the most basic necessities in welfare hostels, including safe drinking water, hygienic food and proper sanitation. She said food poisoning and water contamination had become routine occurrences, leading to repeated illnesses and, in several cases, fatalities.

“Students are being forced to live in unsafe, unhealthy conditions. This is not governance — this is abandonment,” she said.

Rules Ignored, Safeguards Scrapped

The former minister alleged that the government had blatantly ignored guidelines issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and directions of the High Court related to hostel safety and child welfare.

She recalled that during the tenure of Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Government Order No. 46 had ensured strict monitoring, inter-departmental coordination and fixed accountability in hostel administration. “That GO was scrapped purely out of political hostility, and poor students are paying the price with their lives,” Rajini alleged.

Statewide Pattern of Neglect

Citing repeated incidents from Tirupati, Krishna, Nandyal, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Annamayya and Sathya Sai districts, Rajini said mass illnesses and food-related incidents had become alarmingly frequent, exposing what she called “total administrative collapse.”

She warned that over 6.5 lakh students studying in 3,783 welfare hostels were now effectively being left to fend for themselves, with no meaningful oversight from the state.

Departments in Disarray

Rajini further pointed to the breakdown of coordination between health, medical and welfare departments, resulting in delayed treatment, lack of supervision and dangerously unsafe living conditions. She contrasted this with the previous administration’s Nadu–Nedu reforms, nutritious diet plans and regular inspections, which she said had significantly improved hostel standards.

“The coalition government has pushed welfare hostels into an inhuman and alarming state. This is not just misgovernance — it is a moral failure,” Rajini said, demanding immediate corrective action and accountability for the deaths.

Her remarks add to mounting criticism of the government over welfare delivery, with opposition parties intensifying pressure over what they describe as systemic neglect of the state’s most vulnerable children.