# MP to transfer Rs 600 each to 5.8 lakh students for uniforms after tender fails

2026-09-29T15:57:48+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Madhya Pradesh will transfer Rs 600 directly into bank accounts of 5.8 million government school students from Classes 1 to 8 to buy uniforms, after the state failed to finalise a Rs 350-crore tender amid a High Court stay. Cabinet minister Chetan Kashyap announced the Rs 348.07 crore disbursement on Tuesday, five months into the academic session. The MP High Court stayed the tender finalisation on July 16 after garment manufacturers alleged eligibility conditions unfairly excluded local industries, women's self-help groups and MSMEs. The court directed the government to respond within a week. The state had shifted from direct transfers to a centralised tender for the 2026-27 session but could not proceed due to the legal objections. Kashyap said a new process will begin next year to ensure timely uniform supply. Separately, the cabinet approved 20 percent horizontal reservation for Agniveers in state uniformed services including police constables, jail guards and forest guards.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The MP High Court's stay on a Rs 350-crore tender, after allegations that eligibility criteria favoured large firms over local women's self-help groups and MSMEs, forced the government's hand. Under the 2018 model used by the previous Chouhan government, SHGs stitched uniforms for 5.5 million students. That arrangement ended in 2024 when DBT began, but the state then attempted a centralised tender this year, which collapsed under legal challenge. The DBT route avoids procurement delays but shifts the burden of finding and buying uniforms onto parents, many of whom lack easy access to cloth markets or bank accounts in rural areas. The next test comes when the high court hears the state's response, expected within a week.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mp-govt-to-transfer-600-each-to-5-8-million-students-for-school-uniforms-101790692416682.html>

Tags: Agniveer, Chetan Kashyap, direct benefit transfer, Madhya Pradesh, MP High Court
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