In a statement issued here today, Singh accused the BJP government of delaying the distribution of free uniforms to school children for two years and said the government owed an apology to all the children who were entitled to get free uniforms much earlier.
Taking a strong exception to the media campaign of the scheme as BJP government's achievement, Singh said that the state government failed to use the central assistance of Rs 84 crores for free uniforms during the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 thus depriving school children of the benefit for two years.
The HPCC president accused the BJP Government for misleading the people by renaming the provision of free uniforms under the Right of Education Act as 'Atal Free School Uniform Yojna'.
RTE was passed in 2009 and implemented across the country from April 1, 2010, entitling the schools children to free uniforms, free notebooks, text books, stationary, schools bags, scholarships and free transportation facilities.
However, the BJP Government notified its rules after a delay of one year on March 5, 2011 thus not only losing central assistance of over Rs 42 crores available during 2010-2011 but also depriving the school children of free uniforms, Singh added.