22L U.P. school kids may miss DBT for uniforms, stationery as verification lags

Hindustan Times

03-05-2025

Nearly 22 lakh students in government-run primary and upper primary schools in Uttar Pradesh may miss out on the ₹1,200 direct benefit transfer (DBT) meant for school uniforms, shoes, bags, and stationery this academic year, as their verification process remains incomplete.
The basic education department has so far verified 87.73 lakh students out of the 1.09 crore children promoted to the next class. The verification backlog is delaying the disbursement of DBT to parents' bank accounts, nearly a month after the new session began.
'There will be a delay in sending the amount of school dress, shoes, socks, sweaters, bags and stationery through DBT due to non-verification of about 22 lakh students who got promoted to the next class in council primary and upper primary schools,' an official said.
Under the current process, headmasters must verify on the Prerna portal the number of students who have taken admission in the next class and those who have dropped out. These records must then be validated online by block education officers (BEO) and district basic education officers (BSA). They also need to confirm that the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of students' guardians are active.
Out of the verified students, 3.27 lakh records are pending approval at the BEO level and another 3.33 lakh at the BSA level. The DBT process cannot proceed until all three levels of verification are complete.
Deputy education director (Primary), Sanjay Kumar Upadhyay, expressed concern over the delay in a letter dated May 1. He instructed all headmasters, BEOs, and BSAs to expedite the verification process for the 2025–26 academic session. However, the communication did not mention a deadline for completion.
'To ensure funds are transferred through DBT, it must be ensured that all promoted students are verified at the school level, with details certified by the BEO and further verified by the DBE officers,' Upadhyay directed.