THANE: Winds of change are sweeping through classrooms in state-run tribal schools and hostels, and in the corridors of the tribal development department as high-end made-to-order furniture units are being sourced for students through a transparent e-bidding process.More than 32,000 benches, tables, chairs, bunk-beds and cupboards will be delivered to 119 ashram schools and 88 tribal hostels in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Solapur and eight other districts under the jurisdiction of the additional tribal commissioner, Thane, at the beginning of the new academic year in June-July 2019.“The school infrastructure will be transformed. Our department has pledged that no tribal child will sit, sleep or dine on the floor, and they will get facilities available in any school in metros. It is one of the biggest procurements exceeding Rs 200 crore across Maharashtra and top-of-the-line corporate manufacturers have bid though a transparent process Government Electronic Market (GeM) portal, managed by the Union ministry of commerce. In fact, tribal development minister Vishnu Savra insisted on the procedure to eliminate rogue suppliers and ensure tribal children get quality infrastructure ,’’ a senior official said.Classrooms and hostels run by TDD have been marked with leaking roofs, inadequate and ill-maintained toilets and students would study and sleep on the floor. “It will all be a thing of the past. In schools and hostels under my jurisdiction, more than 70,000 tribal students will directly benefit from furniture units. In fact, the purchase orders were placed after an extensive survey of ashram schools and hostels and measurement of classrooms and their requirements under Kayapalat Abhiyan launched by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis recently,’’ said additional tribal commissioner (Thane) Sanjay Meena.TDD officials said the mission to revamp classroom infrastructure would help improve education and learning levels of students here. They said digitalization of the tendering process had made the project transparent, and guaranteed that the facilities will reach students in time for the new academic year.“If our students are provided a holistic environment, with all basic amenities, it is bound to give their morale a boost,’’ the IAS officer from Thane said.

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