Cap on subsidized LPG puts schools in a dilemma

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 27, 2012: The office of the Akshara Dasoha has received several anxious queries regarding the cap on subsidized LPG from schools, many of which require 12 cylinders of gas per month. A few schools have also declared that if the cap on LPG is applicable to them, they would stop the scheme as it would be a heavy financial burden on them.

As many as 2,22,818 children, who are studying in 1,426 government and aided schools in DK, benefit from the Akshara Dasoha scheme. Around 144 schools, most of them in Mangalore and Bantwal, are beneficiaries of ISKCON’s Akshaya Patra.

James Coutinha, Mangalore taluk officer for Akshara Dasoha, said that they do not really know how to deal with the issue as their budget remains the same. Local gas agencies have already informed some schools about the cap, but many are still in the dark.

Raviraj Shetty of the DK District Aided Schools Association said that schools definitely cannot bear the costs.

Schools had previously opposed the slab system of determining the number of cylinders allotted to each school. According to this system, schools with less than 25 primary school students get one cylinder while high school students get 3 cylinders. The maximum number of cylinders given is 12 for schools with more than 801 students. Later taluk officials reduced number of cylinders to schools with fewer students and allotted more cylinders to schools with more students.

As per an order issued in June this year, the taluk officers were entrusted the responsibility of distributing cylinders. An official said that, although several schools approached the district office requesting more cylinders, they had to inform them that cylinders can be distributed only as per the slab system.