Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has floated tenders worth ₹77.2 crore to supply footwear, socks, ankle boots, sweaters and raincoats to students of govt and aided schools in the state for 2027-28 academic year.According to tender documents, 17.61 lakh pairs of velcro sandals, 58.23 lakh pairs of socks and 91,531 pairs of ankle boots are to be supplied by the contractor to students across the state.A total of 92,062 woolen sweaters and 91,771 raincoats are to be supplied to students at 72 locations in and around hilly terrains — Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Theni, Salem, Tiruchi, Tirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Erode and Dharmapuri. Respective block and district education officers will coordinate for delivery of all the material.Footwear for boys will be in khaki colour with a dark black sole, while girls’ sandals will be completely black. Both products must have an ‘anti-skid’ design. The socks will be navy blue, grey, and black and must be made of nylon yarn.Ankle boots must be made of rubber fabric and sweaters, a blend of natural wool and acrylic yarn. Raincoats, which will be cherry red in colour, will be made of nylon fabric coated with a water-resistant PVC coating, tender documents said.The last date to submit bids for the tenders, floated separately by TN textbook and educational services corporation (TNTESC) for each item, is 6pm on Dec 10.
