Mohali :
Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Mayor of Mohali, Kuljit Singh Bedi, has accused the Punjab Government of misusing taxpayers’ money by allegedly spending nearly ₹10 crore through the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) to manufacture around 4 lakh school bags and 2 lakh plastic covers carrying the photograph of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Addressing the media, Bedi alleged that while the government has reportedly withheld nearly ₹400 crore meant for the Punjab School Education Board for printing school textbooks, it has imposed an additional financial burden of ₹10 crore on the Board for producing school bags and plastic covers featuring the Chief Minister’s image.
He claimed that the bags were distributed to students of Classes 10, 11 and 12 in government schools across Punjab, whereas in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Dhuri Assembly constituency, students from Classes 6 to 12 received the bags. Questioning the decision, Bedi asked why Dhuri was given additional benefits if the scheme was intended for the entire state.
Bedi further said that several months have already passed since the beginning of the academic session and that most parents had already purchased school bags for their children. He alleged that distributing bags at this stage served little educational purpose and was instead aimed at promoting the Chief Minister through the display of his photograph.
The Congress leader also questioned the government’s financial priorities, alleging that despite claiming the need to borrow funds, it was spending crores of rupees on promotional material carrying the Chief Minister’s image.
Demanding transparency, Bedi urged the Punjab Government to immediately stop using public money for political promotion and make the complete details of the expenditure on the school bags and plastic covers public.
The above allegations were made by Congress leader Kuljit Singh Bedi. The Punjab Government had not responded to these claims at the time of reporting.
