Proposed BMC education budget at Rs 1132 cr

Mumbai, Feb 4 (UNI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has raised its education budget by Rs 202 crore as compared to last year, to provide for the treatment and health assistance to students.

Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak, while proposing the education budget for the financial year 2008-09, said the total education budget outlay is Rs 1,132 crore.

The BMC imparts free education to 4.25 lakh students through 1,171 schools in seven Indian languages apart from English. The civic body employs 12,659 teachers. The BMC has sought the State Government's sanction to start 118 new day and 12 new night schools.

The budget has made provisions for Rs 2.1 crore to supply free textbooks to secondary and primary students. A provision of Rs 75.5 crore has also been made for supplying educational material to the BMC school students.

The highly publicised distribution of free flavoured milk to the students, that was discontinued after students took ill in two separate incidents, will be resumed in 2008-09 and a provision of Rs 128 crore for the primary schools and Rs 15.03 crore for secondary schools has been made for the purpose.

With the aim to encourage girls education, the BMC has proposed a daily allowance of Re 1 to the students. A provision of Rs 6.03 crore for the primary and Rs 1.03 crore for the secondary schools has been made for the purpose.

The budget has also made provisions for bus fare, scholarship examinations, repairs of dilapidated school buildings and school furniture.

UNI JN MAZ AG1710