New Delhi, May 25 (IANS): Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged that the city's Municipal Corporations have failed to provide text books for students enrolled in the schools they run.
AAP's MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak, addressing a press conference, said the all three civic bodies, governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, have not provided books to around 7 lakh students who study in the MCD schools.
He claimed the civic bodies have not even started the tendering process to procure text books for students. "Books should have been provided in April, however, we can understand that since the first week of April, there was the Covid wave, and there must have been a problem. But if the books that were to be given in April, the process of their purchase should have started earlier. Yet, till now, the MCD has not begun even a single process," he said.
However, the three civic agencies have denied AAP's claims as "false".
North MCD Mayor Jai Prakash said that the civic body has already placed an order on April 6, along with advance payment of Rs 4,38,75,630 to the Delhi Bureau of Text Books, under the Delhi government.
He also accused the AAP government of not releasing funds for procuring text books for students. "AAP Government did not provide even a single penny for the facilities like text books, uniforms, school bags, note books etc," he added.
He claimed the North MCD had initiated the process for procuring text books immediately after a financial assistance of Rs 6 crore was provided by the Union Education Ministry.
South MCD's Standing Committee Chairman Narendra Kumar Chawla told IANS: "Allegation made against the SDMC is baseless, because the fact that books are to be procured from Delhi Bureau of Text Books, which is under the Delhi government. We made several requests to the Delhi government to release funds under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programmes but we did not receive them so far. We also wrote a letter to Delhi government and suggested that, if you not releasing fund directly to SDMC for this purpose, then you (Delhi govt) can transfer it to DBTB, which functions under the Delhi government. SDMC has already submitted its requisition of text books to DBTB."