MUMBAI:MUMBAI: At a time when the Maharashtra government is reeling under a heavy debt of Rs 3,85,000 crore, Aditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, wants the state government to spend Rs 2,250 crore on free tablets of his choice to school students.
Aditya on Wednesday called on state Education Minister Vinod Tawde to urge him to distribute the syllabus loaded tablets to students in state board schools so that their school bags get lighter. He also argued that the tablets will help the students make their learning process easy and smooth. To fulfil the Shiv Sena scion’s project the state government would require Rs 2,250 crore.
Tawde said, “We can’t give the tablets to the students of primary schools because at their age they must practice writing. There are almost 75 lakh students in the secondary section. The tab, prescribed by Aditya, costs Rs 3,000 per piece. Overall, we need Rs 2,250 crore to implement the project.” He, however, said the government will think on accepting the suggestion after going through the financial condition. At present, the government spends around Rs 250 crore on printing text books. A student, who will get the tab in standard VI, will use it till he passes the standard X. It means the govt will need to buy tabs once in 5 years, spending Rs 1,000 crore even if cost on printing text books are saved.