No proposal to provide school bags to poor kids: AAP government to Delhi High Court

NEW DELHI: The AAP government has told the Delhi High Court that while it provides cash to poor children for buying uniform and writing material, it cannot give money for purchase of bags or supply the same as it is not mentioned in the Right to Education Act.

The submission has been made by the Directorate of Education (DoE) of the Delhi government in an affidavit filed in response to the high court's query on March 23 on whether it was feasible to provide school bags to the poor children.

The matter is listed for hearing tomorrow before Justice Indermeet Kaur.

The affidavit was filed in a plea which has alleged that the Delhi government and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) have not discharged their obligations under the Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules.

The DoE has said that it provides a complete set of textbooks and supporting material, cash in lieu of writing material, stationary and uniforms.

"That so far as supply of bags to the students is concerned, it is pertinent to mention that answering respondent (DoE) has no proposal to supply school bags or cash in lieu of bags, since the RTE Act nowhere envisages any provision for supply of such school bag," the affidavit has said.