In the aftermath of the tragic deaths of seven children in a ceiling collapse at a government primary school in Piplodi village, Jhalawar district, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has directed officials to renovate dilapidated school buildings across the state.
File Photo: IANS
In the aftermath of the tragic deaths of seven children in a ceiling collapse at a government primary school in Piplodi village, Jhalawar district, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has directed officials to renovate dilapidated school buildings across the state.
Based on feedback regarding the condition of school buildings and the need for repairs or renovation, the CM held a review meeting via video conferencing with all district collectors on Friday, and announced on Saturday that additional funds would be allocated for the repair and renovation of school buildings.
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“The state government has decided to repair or renovate school buildings as per requirements on a priority basis,” an official spokesman said here. He added that, accordingly, the Chief Minister has ordered an increase in the quantum of grants and has also liberalised the norms for sanctioning funds to schools for this purpose.
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Sharma announced an enhancement in the grant limit for repairs of government buildings, schools, and Anganwadi centres under the Daang, Magra, and Mewat Regional Development Schemes from 15% to 20%, the spokesman said.
Besides, all MLAs in the state have been authorised to sanction funds from the MLALAD scheme for the repair of government buildings, schools, and Anganwadi centres constructed under any scheme. Moreover, they may now allocate up to 20% of their annual government-provided allocation for this purpose.
Going beyond party lines, Chief Minister Sharma has appealed to all Rajasthan MLAs to give priority to recommending the repair of school and Anganwadi buildings, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, a pall of gloom hung over the Piplodi–Manohar Thana block of Jhalawar as the cremation of the seven children who died in the school ceiling collapse was carried out by grieving families and villagers with heavy hearts.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, whose son Dushyant Singh represents the Jhalawar parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha, visited Piplodi and Manohar Thana on Friday evening to offer her condolences over the deaths of the schoolchildren.
She visited the accident site and hospitals to meet the injured children. A two-time former CM and former MP from the Jhalawar parliamentary constituency, she also met the bereaved families to offer her condolences.
Saddened by the tragic incident, Raje appealed to everyone, particularly the Opposition parties, to exercise restraint and refrain from giving a political twist to the tragedy.
“This is a tragic situation. No one should indulge in politics over the deaths of children; we will get many other opportunities for politics,” she said.
The opposition Congress state president, Govind Singh Dotasra, also expressed similar sentiments.
This comes against the backdrop of criticism from political activists who sought to hold the government responsible for the alleged apathy of school staff, which they claimed contributed to the mishap.
Many Congress leaders, including Dotasra, along with the Rajasthan chapter of the PUCL, even demanded the resignation of Education Minister Madan Dilawar.
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