The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation School Board has announced a scheme called the ‘Bal Gopal Bachat Bank Yojana’, aimed at children aged 5 to 18 from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The initiative seeks to instil a habit of saving, discourage the consumption of junk food and help cover future higher education expenses.
On Thursday, the initiative was pre-launched in honour of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s two-year term in office. In 25 Gujarati, Hindi and English-medium schools in the Ghatlodiya Assembly constituency, which Patel represents, the scheme would be introduced on an experimental basis.
The initiative was reportedly inspired by the efforts of social worker Ashwinbhai Patel in the town of Idar in the Sabarkantha region. According to officials, Patel has been managing this initiative in Idar for more than eight years.
With the assistance of Deputy Mayor Jatinbhai Patel, a CSR donation of Rs 12 lakh is projected to assist 10,590 poor and middle-class children during the scheme’s initial launch, authorities said.
The respective school teachers will open the recipients’ bank accounts and bank volunteers will pick up the money from children.
AMC School Board Chairman Sujay Mehta said, “A child from five to 18 years can enrol under this scheme. This scheme aims to develop a nature of saving among children, keeping them away from junk food. For instance, on birthdays or festivals when the elders offer money to the children they spend it either on chocolates or other junk food items. We are expecting a social change from this scheme.”
According to School Board officials, Ashwinbhai Patel has helped register over 21,000 students in more than eight years, raising over Rs 22 crore in donations, of which at least 50 students would be able to cover their MBBS fees.
Children will receive piggy banks as part of the initiative, which will cost Rs 106 and whose cost has been paid by the CSR.
Volunteers from a cooperative bank where the kids will be registered will come to their residences once every three months to pick up money and provide receipts for it.
When the child turns 18, the money will be refunded with interest after being placed in the bank account at a 6% interest rate. Additionally, an Ahmedabad-based IT company has declared that it will deposit an additional Rs 12 lakh into the child’s account for the first Rs 100 that the child saves.
“There are many benefits of Bal Gopal Savings Bank Yojana. There will be no cost burden on the children. Apart from social change, this scheme will also increase the mathematical skills among children,” AMC School Board administrative officer L D Desai told a section of the media.
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