 "MCD to procure 60k benches for schools, jail inmates to make 25k of them")
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to procure around 60,000 dual desks for its schools out of which 25,000 could be made by Central Tihar Jail inmates with orders likely to be placed soon, officials said on Thursday.
There has been a shortage of desks in municipal schools and the issue was also raised by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) recently, an MCD official said.
He said the procurement are beng made so that students are not forced to sit on floors.
An official said around nine lakh students study in MCD schools and there is a shortage of 74,142 dual desks (27,056 of small size and 47,086 big size) currently.
The erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), before it was merged with NDMC and SDMC to make a unified MCD, had already given order for the procurement of 14,489 dual desks to Delhi Prison.
"As many as 59,653 dual desks (22,834 small sized and 36,819 big sized) are yet to be procured," the official said.
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"Order for 25,000 dual desks (10,000 small sized and 15,000 big sized) may be given to the Central Tihar Jail while the procurement of rest 34,663 can be made through the GeM portal (12,814 of small sizes and 21819 big sizes)," the official said.
Sources said a meeting has already been held between MCD and jail authorities concerned for the supply of these desks.
The Dy Superintendent of Tihar Jail informed the meeting that currently there are
about 15,00 convicted prisoners in the Tihar Jail out of whom only 80-90 are in the carpentry units, the sources said.
The unit can make around 10,000 dual desks in six months, he told the meeting.
During the 2022-2023 session, an order for 14.489 dual desks was placed with the Central Tihar Jail in April 20, 2022.
The jail has supplied 10,000 dual desks so far and is working on the rest 4,489
The Delhi government last week released Rs 400 crore for the development of MCD-run schools, education minister Atishi said.
Lt Governor V K Saxena visited M C Primary School, H-Block Ashok Vibar in Keshavpuram Zone and M C Primary School, R K Puram Sector-3 in South Zone.
During the visit, he directed the officials to ensure there are enough desks in the schools so that the students need not sit on the floor.
Besides, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has also taken a suo moto cognisance of the shortage of desks in MCD schools and directed the official concerned to arrange adequate benches for children.
It has also sought an action taken report.
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