Tejas Navale

Pune: The Education Department of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has decided to discontinue the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for distributing school materials to students in primary and secondary schools for the upcoming academic year. This change comes in response to concerns that funds transferred through DBT were not being utilised for their intended purpose.

Previously, the DBT scheme allowed the Municipal Corporation to transfer money directly into the accounts of students and their parents, enabling them to purchase school materials. However, the administration has observed that a significant number of parents used the money for other expenses, leading to students not receiving the necessary school supplies. Consequently, the decision has been made to revert to a traditional procurement process involving suppliers.

For the upcoming academic year, the Municipal Corporation plans to purchase school materials worth Rs 20.28 crore through a tender process. This change is expected to delay the distribution of supplies, meaning students will not have access to their materials on the first day of school. Instead, parents will need to obtain these supplies from the designated suppliers who have qualified through the tender process.

Currently, 42,000 students are enrolled in 105 primary schools and 9,000 students in 18 secondary schools under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. These students have traditionally received school materials free of cost. The move to DBT last year was aimed at simplifying the process and ensuring timely access to supplies. However, feedback from teachers and principals revealed that approximately 50% of parents did not use the DBT funds to purchase school materials. Reports indicated that the money was often diverted to other uses, such as paying off loan instalments.

To address this issue, the Municipal Corporation has decided to procure school materials directly from suppliers. The tender process for this procurement was delayed due to the enforcement of the model code of conduct, but the education department expects to complete it by the end of June. Fifteen suppliers have participated in the tender process.

Students will receive a comprehensive set of school supplies, including shoes, socks, school bags, Navneet books, business materials, practice books, drawing books, map notebooks, notebooks, water bottles, raincoats, and compass boxes. This move is expected to ensure that all students have access to the necessary materials for their education.

Assistant Commissioner Vijay Thorat stated that while the DBT scheme will no longer be used for school materials, the funds will remain in the student-parent accounts. To facilitate the purchase of school supplies, parents will be able to use QR codes to buy items from the designated suppliers.