Pune: With two months into the academic year, around 57,000 students in Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) schools are still waiting for essential supplies, including school bags, shoes, raincoats and other educational materials.The PCMC runs 110 primary and 24 secondary schools. Every year, the civic body provides the students with school bags, raincoats, shoes, socks, notebooks, textbooks, activity books, water bottles and lunch boxes.The education department had announced that the material would be distributed from the first day of school. However, so far, the students have received only textbooks, activity books and uniforms.The delay was initially attributed to the late completion of the procurement process and uncertainty over whether the material should be distributed physically through the e-RUPI system or through direct benefit transfer (DBT).The administration had proposed transferring around Rs25 crore directly to the bank accounts of the parents through DBT, arguing that schools had reopened on June 15 and students needed the material without further delay. However, the proposal was rejected last week by the standing committee and approved the e-RUPI system under which the students or parents would receive QR codes to buy the prescribed material from designated vendors.Under the existing norms, students from Std I to IV are entitled to Rs3,785 each, those from Std V to VII Rs4,700 each, and students from Std VIII to X get Rs 4,100 each.The e-RUPI system was criticized last year, as many parents had complained about substandard products following which an audit was also conducted to check the quality of distributed material.Parents and activists have criticised the delay, pointing out that students have already completed a substantial part of the monsoon term without essential items such as raincoats and school bags.Deputy municipal commissioner Mamata Shinde told TOI that the civic administration has now decided to provide the money through DBT and will move a fresh proposal once it receives the formal resolution on the rejection of the earlier proposal by the standing committee.“The delay is also due to SIR, earlier elections and several other reasons. However, the amount will now be credited to the students’ accounts and the process is likely to be completed within a week,” she said.
