Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari (file picture)
“The previous govt provided mobile phones to students of Classes 11 and 12. The scheme being wound up — Taruner Swapna — was introduced in Jan 2021 when pandemic lockdowns forced a shift to online learning, leaving many students from poor families without access to smartphones. Under the scheme, Class 11 and Class 12 students in state-run, govt-aided schools and madrasas received Rs 10,000 directly in their bank accounts to buy a tablet, smartphone or PC. Over 53 lakh students benefited from it.
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It is a very clear message,” Adhikari said at a News18 event. Adhikari said the circumstances that prompted the scheme had changed. He linked the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Nasha Mukt Bharat” drive, saying Bengal must move towards a “Nasha Mukt Pashchim Banga” and follow the Gujarat model of keeping students away from mobile phones on campus. “Provide students with whatever they need for their studies, except mobile phones,” he said.
I have directed two education ministers and secretaries to provide students with modern technological equipment that can be used for education. If it requires more money, we will provide it. But we will not provide mobile phones. The CM also urged private educational institutions to take on broader social responsibility beyond academics, specifically calling for the revival of NCC and Bratachari activities. Adhikari also reiterated the govt’s decision to bring Aliah University under the higher education department, ending its previous special status. Download the TOI App.
Kolkata: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced the discontinuation of the state govt’s financial assistance scheme for student mobile phones, saying the focus would shift to purpose-built educational devices to check smartphone addiction among schoolchildren.
Officials are expected to devise alternatives — devices configured for classroom learning and monitored educational access — though the plan is yet to be finalised.