BJP vs Congress Over Rs 600 To School Students For Uniform In Himachal

The Himachal Pradesh government's decision to give Rs 600 to each state-run school student of class 1 to 8 through direct benefit transfer for uniforms has triggered a war of words between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP.

The amount will be transferred directly in the name of the student or the mother of the student. This will benefit about 5.25 lakh students, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in a statement issued here on Monday.

The opposition BJP, however, accused the Congress government of reducing the number of beneficiaries under the scheme. Also, the Rs 600 to be transferred to the accounts of the students is the share of the Centre and the state's contribution is nil, the party alleged.

The previous BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur had given free uniform to about eight lakh students of class one to 10 of government schools along with Rs 200 per student as stitching cost, the party's state unit chief Suresh Kashyap said.

Mr Sukhu, however, maintained that earlier, the students had to wait for the uniform because of the lengthy distribution process. But now, the students can instantly get their uniforms made, the chief minister said.

The state government is committed to providing better educational infrastructure. Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding schools will be opened in a phased manner in all assembly constituencies, he added.

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