According to cabinet co-ordination department principal secretary Ravikant from now, every girl student will get Rs 1,000 per year to purchase uniform. The scheme will benefit about 15 lakh students across the state.
The Mukhyamantri Balika Poshak Yojana, which has been renamed Bihar Shatabdi Mukhyamantri Balika Poshak Yojana, is likely to benefit 8.77 lakh students of classes IX and X and 6.24 lakh pupils of classes XI and XII. Students of all constituent and affiliated inter colleges, government schools, project schools, recognised non-government minorities schools, aided madrasas and Sanskrit schools will be entitled for the benefits of the scheme.
It needs to be recalled that boys and girls of Classes I to VIII were getting Rs 700 to purchase two sets of uniform, a pair of shoes and stationery every year.
Earlier, students of Classes I-III were getting uniform as part of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of the Central government.
The cabinet had three months ago decided to give uniform to girl students of classes XI to XII. The plan could not be implemented because of non-allocation of funds.
At its meeting on December 20, the cabinet decided to provide uniform to children in the age group of three-to-six who go to anganwadi kendras for pre-school education. The decision would benefit about 37 lakh children going to nearly 92,000 anganwadi kendras. Every child would get Rs 250 per year to purchase uniform.