*RO plants in schools abandoned by govt neglect, and yellow media cover-up*

Tadepalli, April 11: YSRCP spokesperson Yanamala Nagarjuna Yadav criticised as “false and misleading reporting” by Eenadu newspaper regarding RO plants in government schools, which the coalition government is neglecting maintenance while using friendly media to shift blame onto the previous YSRCP regime. Addressing the media at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, he said that during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, government schools underwent a complete transformation under the Nadu–Nedu programme, including the installation of 27,293 RO plants—12,948 in the first phase and 14,645 in the second phase—to ensure purified drinking water for students. These plants were installed with one-year warranty and five-year maintenance guarantees, supported by a monitoring system through a TCS-managed app to resolve issues within seven days.

He stated that after coming to power, the coalition government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu halted Nadu–Nedu works and completely neglected maintenance of RO plants, failing even to replace basic components like filters. Instead of ensuring upkeep through officials, the responsibility was shifted onto school headmasters, reflecting administrative failure. Nagarjuna Yadav further accused Education Minister Nara Lokesh of mismanaging the education sector, stating that it has turned into a “department of destruction” due to inefficiency. He stated that instead of addressing ground-level issues, the government is using aligned media outlets to spread misinformation and cover up its failures, thereby misleading the public while endangering the health and safety of school children.