West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari hinted at introducing grants for tablets instead of mobile phones.
Published: September 29, 2026, 7:25 PM IST
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West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari(ANI Photo/File)
Kolkata: In a matter of big news for the students West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari indicated that the state government may discontinue its financial assistance to school students for purchasing mobile phones, replacing it with grants for educational tabletsAdhikari expressed concern over the unbridled use of mobile phones by students, warning that the trend is causing irreparable damage to the younger generation.
What West Bengal Chief Minister said at recent event?
The West Bengal Chief Minister was speaking at a programme at Byantra in Howrah to launch the ‘Sarathi’ scheme for distributing bicycles to students, replacing the erstwhile ‘Sabuj Sathi’ project initiated by the TMC governmentHe announced the potential policy shift in Howrah during the launch of the ‘Sarathi’ scheme, which replaces ‘Sabuj Sathi’ for distributing bicycles.
“I am severely opposed to students using mobile phones in schoolsThis is causing irreparable damageWe are giving this matter serious thought,” he said, with School Education Minister Dipak Burman and Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay in attendance on the dais.
How much grant was given to students for Mobile phones?
“The previous government used to give Rs 10,000 to class 11 students in January to purchase mobile phonesI have already asked the state education secretary and am saying this to the minister as well: start thinking about the matter from nowWe can provide more funds, if required, with which we will provide education-related tablets instead of mobile phones,” Adhikari added.
This wasn’t the first time that Adhikari expressed his displeasure over the use of mobile phones by school students.
At an event on September 5 to mark Teachers’ Day, the chief minister had said, “Mobile phones have a significant negative impact on school studentsIt may be a difficult decision, and I may even lose votes because of it.”
In Gujarat, mobile phones are banned for students up to Class 12, and they remain awake watching mobile phones even after their parents go to sleep, he had saidOn Tuesday, Adhikari said that failure to bring about this reform will lead to not being able to build future generations in the right manner.
