MUMBAI, June 16 -- On the first day of the new academic year, over 300,000 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) school students returned to classrooms without receiving their annual free educational kits. The distribution, which provides 27 essential items-including uniforms, bags, shoes, notebooks, umbrellas, and raincoats-is highly anticipated by families from economically weaker backgrounds who depend heavily on the scheme. Sources reveal that only about 20% of students received any supplies on day one. Roughly 10% received umbrellas, 2% got uniforms, and a mere 1% received notebooks. To avoid complete disappointment, some schools resorted to distributing leftover materials from the previous year. Officials attribute the delay to a major administrative shift: the BMC recently transitioned its procurement process from the state's Mahatender portal to the central government's Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. While the previous state system typically involved two suppliers, the GeM system requires the BMC to coordinate with five different companies for various items. Consequently, purchase orders have only been issued for notebooks, umbrellas, and uniforms so far. Teachers noted that the delay dampened the usual first-day excitement. "For some children, the school uniform is their only new set of clothes for the year," one teacher shared. "We had to keep assuring them that the materials would arrive soon." The delay has drawn sharp criticism from political figures. Education committee member Ankit Prabhu slammed the administration for poor planning. "For four years, the administration continued with the existing system," Prabhu said. "Suddenly, mere weeks before schools reopened, the decision was taken to shift procurement to the GeM portal. It is unfortunate that students of one of the richest municipal corporations are receiving leftover materials." In response, Education Committee Chairperson Rajeshree Shirwadkar assured that the procurement process is moving forward. "We expect to distribute the materials to all students within the next 15 to 20 days," she stated. Education department officials echoed this timeline, confirming that outstanding purchases are being processed urgently. Launched in 2007 to promote classroom equality and alleviate financial pressure on parents, the free educational kit scheme remains one of the BMC's most vital student support programmes....