Midnapore: Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has donated more than Rs 70 lakh to a non-descript school in West Midnapore district in West Bengal, in response to a request from the school.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, being a Rajya Sabha MP, the former batting superstar donated 76 lakh to the school under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme. The school received the funds last financial year.
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Teachers and students of Swarnamoyee Sasmal Shiksha Niketan, which was struggling for infrastructure, could hardly believe it when Tendulkar sent help.
“The realisation hasn’t yet sunk in. We have no words to express our gratitude,” headmaster of the school, Uttamkumar Mohanty told the Hindustan Times.
The school headmaster now plans on requesting chief minister Mamata Banerjee for more funds so that the school may improve further. Banerjee had promised the people of the district ‘anything they want’ if they helped her defeat Suryakanta Mishra, a five-time MLA from CPI(M).
Banerjee is expected to address her first public meeting since taking charge again in Narayangarh, which is located in West Midnapore.
But the school plans to invite Tendulkar to inaugurate the new facilities once they are ready.
Two years ago, school authorities approached local MP Prabodh Panda of the CPI for financial assistance, but did not receive a response. The school, which has an intake of 900 students, later discovered that Rajya Sabha MPs had no territorial restrictions in distributing their MPLAD funds, unlike Lok Sabha MPs.
In 2014 the school wrote a letter to Sachin Tendulkar explaining their plans for a library room, laboratory and a common room for girls. Tendulkar responded six months later, saying the funds were being released.
“I wish to inform you that I have recommended to the honourable district collector Bandra, Mumbai, that funds be released to you for the above project. I understand that the honourble district collector of Bandra has further processed my recommendation and has provided necessary details to the honourable collector exercising jurisdiction in your area,” the letter addressed to headmaster Mohanty read.
