Bengaluru: Deputy Lokayukta-1 K.N. Phanindra has ordered the registration of a suo motu case over allegations that poor-quality shoes supplied free of cost to government schoolchildren under the state’s shoe-and-socks scheme were damaged within days of distribution.
The development comes after media reports highlighted complaints from students and parents that the shoes distributed under the government scheme had torn within a week or that the stitching had come apart. The issue had also triggered criticism from opposition parties, with Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka accusing the government of failing to ensure quality in the procurement and supply of footwear to students.
Ashoka had alleged that poor-quality materials were being supplied under a scheme intended to benefit children from economically weaker families. He claimed that shoes distributed in several districts, including Raichur, Tumakuru and Ballari, had reportedly deteriorated within a week.
The BJP leader had demanded strict action against contractors responsible for supplying the allegedly substandard shoes and called for them to be blacklisted.
Against this backdrop, Deputy Lokayukta-1 K.N. Phanindra has directed officials to initiate a suo motu inquiry into the allegations.
According to the order, complaints have been registered against deputy directors of the School Education Department and block education officers in 15 districts falling under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Lokayukta.
The respective district Superintendents of Police under the Lokayukta division have been directed to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations. They have also been instructed to submit their preliminary reports, along with relevant records and findings, within two weeks.
The inquiry is expected to examine the quality of the shoes supplied to government schoolchildren, the procurement and distribution process and the responsibility of officials and contractors involved in the implementation of the scheme.
The Deputy Lokayukta has also indicated that appropriate directions would be issued to the concerned authorities, including district in-charge ministers and the Education Minister, based on the findings of the preliminary inquiry.
The move has brought renewed attention to the implementation of welfare schemes for government schoolchildren and the need for effective quality checks to ensure that public money is not spent on substandard materials.
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