Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Over 2,000 students studying in Kanya Shiksha Parisar and Adarsh Awasiya Vidyalaya of the Dhar district have been denied essential school supplies despite the funds being allocated by the government.
The failure of the tribal welfare department of the district to distribute essential school supplies has affected more than 2,000 students of Bagh, Dhar, Tirla, Dharampuri, Sardarpur, Umarban, Nalcha, Nisarpur and Badnawar. The government allocated approximately Rs 1.23 crore on September 10 to provide uniforms, bedding, toiletries and textbooks for the students.
The government spends Rs 1,500 for uniforms, Rs 700 for bedsheets, Rs 5,875 for mattresses, Rs 2,000 for stationery, Rs 1,000 for toiletries, and Rs 1,000 for textbooks per student.
Despite the funds being received three months before, children still haven’t gotten the benefit of any of the facilities. No action has been taken to procure or distribute these materials to students, raising concerns among parents and educators.
A meeting was also held a month ago with school principals has yielded no results with the funds still remaining unutilised. Last year, the then Indore division commissioner Mal Singh had directly deposited funds into students' accounts, allowing them to purchase their materials.
However, this year, no such deposits have been made and no tenders have been invited on the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal, which has been closed until December 15. If the situation remains the same and the administration invites tender on the GeM portal, then the dresses will not be distributed even till January.
The delay in the timely distribution of materials has worried students and their parents, especially as the board examination is drawing closer. Acknowledging the issue, district panchayat CEO and assistant commissioner of the tribal department Abhishek Chaudhary said that an action plan is being chalked out.
However, he declined to answer till when the grievances of the students were resolved. Opposition leader Umang Singar criticised the government's negligence. He said that the government’s lack of attention and carelessness in the matter is doing injustice to the tribal children.
