Rs 350 cr uniform plan hits legal wall in Madhya Pradesh, 52 lakh kids left waiting

A tender dispute and High Court stay have held up Madhya Pradesh's Rs 350-crore school uniform plan. Months into the 2026-27 session, nearly 52 lakh government school students are still waiting.Months after schools reopened in Madhya Pradesh, students still waiting for free uniforms due to tender issues (Image: India Today)Months after schools reopened for the 2026-27 academic session, nearly 52 lakh students in government schools across Madhya Pradesh are still waiting for their free school uniforms. The state government has made a provision of around Rs 350 crore to provide two sets of uniforms to students from Classes 1 to 8, but a tender dispute and legal challenge have stalled the process.As a result, students are attending school in civilian clothes even as classes have been underway for months. Teachers say details of the sizes required by students have already been sent to the department and they are now waiting for the uniforms to arrive.The students waiting for their uniforms are not from private schools or coaching centres. They are children enrolled in Madhya Pradesh government schools who were supposed to receive free uniforms under the state government's scheme.According to the figures provided, 25,32,674 boys and 26,70,772 girls studying in Classes 1 to 8 are covered under the scheme. Together, that is around 52 lakh students who are to receive two sets of uniforms each. FROM CASH TRANSFER TO READY-MADE UNIFORMSEarlier, the government transferred Rs 600 per student to the parents' or guardians' bank accounts. Families were expected to purchase the fabric and get the uniforms stitched.The government decided to change this model, citing concerns that families in rural areas may not always have access to good-quality fabric or proper tailoring facilities, resulting in students not receiving the prescribed uniform. Under the new system, students are to receive ready-stitched uniforms instead.However, while the delivery model changed, the procurement process became the source of a new problem. The Madhya Pradesh Textbook Corporation issued an open tender worth around Rs 350 crore for uniforms for students from Classes 1 to 8 on June 3.The tender soon came under scrutiny from organisations associated with local powerloom units, weavers and MSMEs.WHY DID THE TENDER FACE OBJECTIONS?One of the allegations raised against the tender was that its conditions violated provisions under the Madhya Pradesh Bhandar Kray Tatha Seva Uparjan Rules.Under the procurement framework, there is a provision to give priority to MSMEs and handloom and powerloom weavers in the procurement of uniforms and textile products. The rules provide for a minimum share of uniform procurement to be made from local MSMEs, handloom weavers and women's self-help groups to promote local employment.Organisations linked to local powerloom units, weavers and MSMEs questioned whether the tender conditions were keeping smaller local manufacturers and institutions out of the competition.Among the biggest questions was the financial eligibility requirement. The tender allegedly required a company supplying the uniforms to have a turnover of around Rs 700 crore.The issue eventually reached the High Court, where the Rs 350-crore uniform tender was challenged. Following the initial hearing, the court imposed an interim stay on finalising the tender.With the tender stalled, the supply process has also been held up. And with the supply held up, students continue to wait for their uniforms.The current impasse is not the first time government-school students in Madhya Pradesh have had to wait for uniforms.Over the past decade, the state government has changed the system for distributing uniforms several times.From 2016-17 to 2018-19, school management committees were responsible for getting uniforms stitched through local tailors. In 2019-20, the responsibility was given to women's self-help groups.During 2020-21 and 2021-22, the Covid period, uniforms were replaced with direct benefit transfers, with money sent to the accounts of students or their parents.From 2022-23 to 2024-25, women's self-help groups were again given the responsibility of supplying uniforms.Despite these changes, the problem of delayed delivery has remained. Schools often opened before uniforms reached students, with uniforms in some cases arriving four to five months after the academic session had begun.The 2026-27 academic year now appears to be heading down a similar path, with the difference being that this time the government's roughly Rs 350-crore uniform plan is caught in a tender and legal dispute.The government has said uniforms will be provided soon as per the rules. But for students, the question remains simple: schools have already opened, so when will their uniforms arrive?While tender conditions can be debated and procurement processes can be challenged in court, the academic session continues. For the nearly 52 lakh students covered by the scheme, the wait for a uniform is therefore not just a procurement issue but a delay in receiving something that was meant to be available at the start of the school year.- EndsPublished By: Mridusmita DekaPublished On: Aug 28, 2026 15:51 IST