Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Education Department has disbursed Rs 10.09 crore as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) amounts to over 28,000 students from class 1 to 8 for the 2023-24 academic year. The financial assistance, provided under the DBT scheme, aims to improve educational expenses for students across primary and secondary schools in the civic limits. For classes 1-8, a few students’ bank details were inaccurate, which are being revised for streamlined amount transfer. For class 8-10, funding of Rs 2.03 crore will be released this week.
In the DBT scheme, students are eligible to get funds to purchase the study material. Under the scheme, class 1-4 students get Rs 3,500 funding, while class 5-10 students get Rs 3,700 funding directly in their bank account.
The DBT scheme ensures a transparent and streamlined transfer of funds directly to the beneficiaries' bank accounts, eliminating intermediaries and minimizing delays in disbursals. By leveraging this technology-driven approach, PCMC's Education Department has facilitated timely financial support to students, enabling them to concentrate on their studies without financial worries.
DBT eliminates the quality issues in the academic stuff: Shekhar Singh
PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh, said, "DBT eliminates the quality issues in the academic stuff. In the past, we had received complaints from parents and activists about it. Now, the choice of purchasing the academic material is with parents. The successful disbursement of funds under the DBT scheme reflects PCMC's commitment to nurturing academic growth and empowering our future leaders."
PCMC additional commissioner, Pradeep Jambhale-Patil said, “The Education Department's dedication to the DBT scheme and its efficient implementation has garnered positive feedback from parents, students, and all the stakeholders.”
PCMC assistant commissioner, Vijaykumar Thorat, said, “Parents have to submit their study material receipts to the respective school principal so as to make sure that the funding used is for the academic material only. We have supervisors who inspect these receipts.”
Apart from DBT, the education department so far has distributed 40,316 uniforms. PCMC has around 128 civic schools, of which 110 are primary and 18 are secondary.
