The South Delhi Municipal Corporation today decided to reimburse the amount of money parents spent in buying notebooks for children studying in the schools run by it after it failed to provide the students with them during the academic year 2012-13.
This comes just days after the issue rocked the North Delhi Municipal Corporation House, where the councillors had demanded to know how could an entire year has gone without children being given notebooks for use.
Noting that due to the delays in procurement of notebooks for children studying in schools under its jurisdiction the students were forced to pay for them out of their own pockets, the South Corporation's Standing Committee today decided to reimburse the amount for the academic year 2012-13.
"The purchase procedure (concerning provision of notebooks) could not be completed because of Corporation election and thereafter trifurcation of unified corporation into three corporations," read the official documents placed before the Standing Committee.
The North Corporation was given the task of finalising the rate and agency, a process that still remains under process. Each child enrolled in classes I and II, is given four notebooks, while those in classes III to V receive six notebooks, at the cost of Rs 55 and Rs 80 respectively.
"The department proposes to compensate the parents who have already purchase the notebooks from the market by disbursing cash payments for the academic session 2012-13. The payment will be made to the parents as per actual enrolment at the time of disbursement," read the official proposal.
Besides, the Committee also passed the budget for procuring notebooks from the agency finally decided upon for the coming session to prevent any delays.
Also, schools with more than 16 classrooms will now have an extra Rs 10,000 to spend under the funds made available to school principals for maintenance of school building and providing basic amenities to students.
While schools with less than 16 classrooms will continue to get the get Rs 50,000 as before, those with number of classrooms more than 16 will now be paid Rs 60,000, the Standing Committee ruled today. Out of 449 schools under SDMC, 162 fall in the latter category, which will now get the increased amount.
