West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari indicated that the state could replace financial aid for students to buy mobile phones with grants for education-related tablets. | Photo Credit: ANI
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday indicated that the state government may stop financial assistance for school students to buy mobile phones and replace it with grants to buy education-related tablets.
Adhikari expressed concern over reports of uncontrolled use of mobile phones by school students and said the trend was causing “irreparable damage” to the younger generation.
He was speaking at a program at Byantra in Howrah to launch the ‘Sarathi’ scheme to distribute bicycles to students, replacing the ‘Sabuj Sathi’ project started by the TMC government.
‘Irreparable damage’ from mobile phone use
“I am strongly opposed to students using mobile phones in school. This has caused irreparable damage. We are thinking about this matter very seriously,” he said, with School Education Minister Dipak Burman and Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay present on the dais.
“The previous government gave Rs 10,000 to 11th grade students in January to buy mobile phones. I have asked the state education secretary and said this to the minister too: start thinking about it from now on. We can provide more funds, if needed, which will provide education-related tablets instead of mobile phones,” added Adhikari.
Previous reading on student cell phone use
This is not the first time Adhikari has expressed displeasure over the use of mobile phones by school students.
At an event on September 5 to celebrate Teacher’s Day, the chief minister said, “Mobile phones have a significant negative impact on school students. It may be a difficult decision, and I may lose my vote because of it.”
In Gujarat, mobile phones are banned for students till Class 12, and they stay awake looking at mobile phones even when their parents are asleep, he said.
On Tuesday, Adhikari said that failure to carry out these reforms will result in not being able to build the next generation in the right way.
Published on September 29, 2026