West Bengal Govt to stop financial assistance to students to buy mobile phones

West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced the end of the one-time ₹10,000 assistance to classes 11 and 12 students to buy mobile phones under a scheme started under the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.

He said the state’s Baharatiya Janata Party government is ready to spend more money to provide students with modern infrastructure for their education. “But we will not provide mobile phones,” Adhikari said.

The TMC, which was voted out of power after 15 years this year, launched the ‘Taruner Swapno’ scheme in 2022 to provide one-time financial assistance to classes 11 and 12 students to purchase smartphones, tablets and computers. “Follow the Gujarat model in schools. Keep students away from mobile phones as far as possible,” he said.

At a Teachers’ Day function last week, Adhikari hinted at banning mobile phones in schools, citing Gujarat, where students up to class 12 are banned from bringing mobile phones to schools. “Mobile phones have a huge negative impact on school children. It will be a tough decision, and I may lose votes. In Gujarat, mobile phones are banned for students up to class 12. Even after their parents go off to sleep, the students remain awake...watching mobile phones,” Adhikari had said