NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has informed the Delhi High Court that it will be unable to distribute school uniforms to students for the current academic year, despite previous assurances that the uniforms would be provided before the start of the new session.
This issue stems from a 2013 petition that highlighted the government’s failure to fulfill its obligation under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates the supply of free uniforms to students.
The court had repeatedly directed that uniforms should be provided in kind, rather than through cash transfers.
In its latest submission, the Education Department cited “operational difficulties” and revealed that the matter had been referred to the Council of Ministers. On May 10, the Delhi Cabinet approved a proposal to continue the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) model for providing uniforms while revising the subsidy rates. Under the revised scheme, students in Classes I-V will receive `1,250, those in Classes VI-VIII will get `1,500, and students in Classes IX-XII will be given `1,700.
The government has confirmed that it will continue with the DBT model for at least one more year. The court will hear the matter again in September.