India, March 17 -- For the 275-odd students of Bhogpur Maktab primary school in Kolaghat in East Midnapore district, the upcoming summer will be tough to bear. Especially during lunch because only three of the eight fans are working in the dining hall.

Reason: the school's inability to repair the fans because of a fund crunch. The Centre, for the financial year 2024-25, has not released any money for West Bengal under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS), citing financial irregularities in how the state government utilised funds in previous financial years.

Caught between the Centre and the state government, many state-run schools in West Bengal are now finding it difficult even to meet routine expenditure needed to clean toilets, buying ch...