MCD cracks after intervention by the Delhi High Court
NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi moved quickly on Monday in response to the Delhi High Court’s order for the commissioner to pay for the costs of giving schoolchildren free uniforms and stationery without being constrained by the mandatory expenditure cap of Rs 5 crore.
An MCD representative said, “We will transfer the funds to the primary school students on a war footing.”
“For 2024–2025, a sum of Rs 70 crore has been allocated for 6.5 lakh students studying up to Class V. Of this, Rs 1,100 will be credited to each student’s account to be used towards the purchase of school supplies and stationery.” The plan was awaiting the standing committee’s, as of yet unconstituted, approval.
Under MCD, there are 1,534 elementary schools. Gyanesh Bharti, the MCD commissioner, said in court that he lacked the power to approve projects costing more than Rs 5 crore. It could only be done by the standing committee. Fund distribution for this specific purpose is permitted by the court’s ruling without committee approval.
“The funds will be sent straight into the bank accounts of the pupils. We had made sure the pupils all had active bank accounts by working with the banks,” the official said. “We will set up camps at schools where students who do not have Aadhaar cards can turn in their documentation and apply for Aadhaar.” The official said that it would take 15 to 20 days to finish the procedure.
Regarding textbooks, the Delhi government provides them. The official said that books would be given to the kids right away as soon as the supply came.
According to authorities, MCD has requested that the post office deposit the money for students who are experiencing issues with Aadhaar. Due to non-operational bank accounts, two lakh out of the 7.8 lakh municipal students in the 2023–24 school year were not provided with funds for stationery, uniforms, or notebooks.
