The academic year began in the second week of June itself but 2.5 lakh schoolchildren of various government schools and hostels are yet to get their uniforms. Changes in government rules and regulations, alleged partiality in the selection of outsourcing agencies and their inability to handle bulk orders are said to be the main reason for the inordinate delay in the distribution of uniforms.
The Rajiv Vidya Mission will supply uniforms to a majority of the schools and the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) was given the responsibility to supply them to welfare hostels. Following a directive from the government, the Rajiv Vidya Mission has reportedly given the order to a Visakhapatnam-based organisation which is yet to complete the order of two lakh uniforms. The officials say the distribution would begin in a week’s time as the stitching process has almost been completed.
The stitching agencies which supplied uniforms to hostel students were denied opportunity this time with the changes in the rules. The government directed the MEPMA to give orders to women who were given sewing machines after training in stitching. The MEPMA has distributed around 1,000 machines in the last few years . The government’s intention is to generate income to the women. It used to pay below ₹40 per uniform as stitching charge and has enhanced it to ₹80 this year.
Though the intention to pay the extra amount was good, it has reportedly failed at the ground level as a majority of the women selected by the MEPMA do not have enough experience in handling bulk orders. Moreover, they have to depend on conventional sewing machines. Sources say some of them have sold away the machines long ago and depended on local tailors to complete their orders.
The issue has become a shot in the arm for the stitching agencies and associations which were denied the opportunity this year. “Many experienced women and physically challenged tailors in our association used to get sufficient work every year. They all have lost livelihood with the orders given to inexperienced women. Unfortunately, the government denied the opportunity when it had enhanced the rates. It has shocked us,” said Sevvana Umamaheswari, head of the Gayatri Women’s Association. A physically challenged tailor B. Pitambaram of Kothapalem village of Kaviti mandal and T. Rudrayya of Itchapuram urged Srikakulam Collector K. Dhananjaya Reddy to do justice to the tailors who depended on the government orders all these years.
