Assam: Congress leader Debabrata Saikia slams state government for removal of venture schools from PM-POSHAN Scheme

Assam's Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has criticized the state government's decision to remove venture schools from the category of recognized/government-aided schools in the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), leading to their exclusion from the PM-POSHAN Scheme. The move will impact around 5,000 lower and upper primary-level schools and has raised concerns about the government's commitment to providing education to underprivileged children in the state.

Venture schools are run by private individuals or organizations, and while they have received financial assistance from the government in the past, they were not considered government-aided. As per PM POSHAN guidelines, only government-aided and National Child Labour Project (NCLP) schools are covered under the scheme, leaving venture schools ineligible for benefits such as mid-day meals.

Speaking to India Today NE, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu defended the government's decision, stating that venture schools had only received financial assistance from the state government on an ad hoc basis, and were therefore not eligible for the PM-POSHAN Scheme. He added that venture schools would continue to receive free textbooks from the government.

Saikia, however, argued that the move was a conspiracy by the government to close down venture schools and urged the government to take alternative measures to support underprivileged children. The closure of venture schools would adversely affect tea garden workers' children, who often attend these schools due to a lack of primary schools in their area.

The state government's decision to remove venture schools from the PM-POSHAN Scheme has sparked widespread criticism, with educationists and child rights activists calling for the government to reconsider its stance and ensure that all children in the state have access to basic education and nutrition.