Pune: PCMC’s Decision to Halt DBT Disrupts School Material Distribution
Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Pimpri Chinchwad, 1st June 2024: The Education Department of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) previously transferred funds directly to the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) accounts of primary and secondary school students in PCMC schools to facilitate the purchase of educational materials. However, for the upcoming academic year, the PCMC administration has decided to discontinue the DBT system. Instead, educational materials worth more than Rs 20 crore will be procured through a tender process.
Due to this change, students will not receive their school materials on the first day of school. Instead, parents will need to obtain the supplies from vendors who have qualified through the tender process. PCMC has a total of 105 primary schools with 45,000 students and 18 secondary schools with 9,000 students, all of whom receive free materials.
The decision to switch to supplying materials through vendors was made after some individuals allegedly misused the DBT funds, according to the Education Department of PCMC. The tender process was initiated, with 15 participants, but it was postponed due to the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha elections. The tender process is expected to conclude by the end of June.
The school materials to be provided include boots, socks, bags, books, workbooks, practice books, drawing books, graph books, regular notebooks, water bottles, raincoats, and compass boxes.
Vijay Kumar Thorat, Assistant Commissioner of the Education Department of PCMC, stated, “Complaints were received from teachers and principals that 50 % of students and parents did not use DBT funds to purchase school materials last year. Once the money was deposited into the parents’ accounts, some used it to pay loan instalments or for other purposes. DBT funds will remain in the accounts of students and parents, but only school supplies can be purchased through vendors using QR codes.”