Supply of school uniforms to kids has always been a major controversy in Srikakulam district with lack of coordination between the stitching units and officials of the Rajiv Vidya Mission (RVM). The stitching units are not keen to take up government works in the new academic year with the meagre payment of Rs. 40 per uniform, inordinate delay in clearing old bills and fixing of guidelines after completion of works. This will lead to denial of uniforms for 40-lakh school students across the district. According to sources, the stitching units were fed up with the non-clearance of payments pertaining to the 2015-16 year.
Rs. 1.6 crore due
Around 10,000 tailors got contracts through recognised stitching units last year. The government, which has to pay around Rs. 1.6 crore for 40-lakh dresses, found violations in stitching norms and usage of inferior quality material. RVM officials are not happy with the material supplied by APCO, a government-owned organisation. The stitching units argued that they cannot be blamed for the inferior material used.
Representatives of stitching units and tailors have been moving around the Collector’s office and RVM’s office for getting payments. “The tailors have become victims with the delay in payments. The government should frame the guidelines before giving orders and it is not correct to raise doubts after the completion of work,” said a stitching unit representative. Srikakulam Stitching Workers’ Welfare Association leaders Savvana Umamaheswari, V. Venkata Ramana and others have urged the intervention of Srikakulam Collector P. Lakshmi Narasimham and Joint Collector Vivek Yadav to settle the payments as early as possible.
