By:Himvani
About 7.5 lakh students across 12000 state run schools were deprived of free uniform facilities due to alleged irregularities in tendering process with only four months left for winter session to end.
The popular uniform scheme launched by last BJP rule in Dec 2011 on the name of Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajapyee is not even being implemented in letter and spirit.
Annually two sets of uniform is given to student from class 1st to 10th, free of cost along with the stitching fees. This year, not even a single student has got a free uniform.
State civil supply corporation called tenders for the supply of uniform but later got canceled as only two firms participated in the tendering process. It was also found that a father and son separately headed both companies.
“Since both companies were headed by father and son, so we decided to cancel the tender and report has been submitted to the government in this regard” a civil supply corporation official said, requesting anonymity.
He also said that now re-tendering has to be done within 21 days. Earlier tenders were opened on 26th August but the free uniform scheme has remained in ‘controversy’ since its inception. Earlier during the budget session, a minister ordered probe into the uniform purchase after the allegations made by opposition Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).
The scheme that was started in 2012 by then Bhartiya Janata Party government on the name of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpai but later when the congress assumed office; it renamed the scheme as- Mahatma Gandhi Free Uniform Scheme. Two sets of Uniforms are due for 7.5 lakh students studying in over 12000 government schools across the state.
