BENGALURU: Close to 50 lakh students in more than 50,000 government-run schools in Karnataka are likely to get shoes from the state-run Leather Industries Development Corporation (LIDKAR). If the government acts on the proposal, the initiative will not only benefit children, but it will also create work for more than 48,000 leather artisans in the state.
Well-known as Lidkar, the Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation Ltd’s main objective is to uplift socio-economic condition of leather artisans who hail from the Scheduled Caste. The company runs a couple of stores to sell products made by the artisans.
The company wanted to approach the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to supply shoes to school children, but schools were shut due to the pandemic, it did not pursue the matter. Now that schools have resumed physical classes, Lidkar has approached the government with the proposal. N Linganna, chairman of Lidkar, said they have written to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as well as Education Minister B C Nagesh in this regard.
“If they give the approval, we are ready to start the supply of shoes,” he said. Asked if they will be able to cover so many schools, Linganna said their artisans have adopted technology and are capable of supplying in large numbers. Sources from DPI said there were complaints about lowquality shoes supplied to students and flaws in the distribution process.
“We are aware of Lidkar shoes which are of good quality. But we have doubts regarding the supply of such a huge number of shoes at a time,” a source said. Social Welfare Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari, under whose department Lidkar functions, said they are keen on the proposal.