MP's Raisen Olympiad Fiasco – ₹80 Per Child Vanishes: No Rides, No Snacks, Just Empty Promises and Hungry Kids! TM Exclusive

Bhopal- A major scam in the name of the state-level Olympiad exam has come to light in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh! In this, preparations are allegedly being made to swallow the budget of lakhs of rupees allocated for innocent children. The Mooknayak's investigation has uncovered the entire matter.

The exam, organized last month for 29,404 students from classes 2 to 8 in accordance with the state government's directives, saw the government ensuring arrangements of ₹50 per student for travel to and from the exam center and ₹30 for refreshments, totaling ₹80 per student. However, facts emerging after the exam reveal that out of the 70 Jan Shikshan Kendras in the district, snacks were provided to children at only 12 centers, while at the remaining 58 centers, not a single child received food or snacks. After taking the exam at these centers, the children came out hungry and thirsty, and many had to buy breakfast at nearby hotels at their own expense.

When The Mooknayak team visited more than a dozen government schools in Raisen district to uncover the truth of the entire matter, the information gathered from students highlighted several serious aspects. Kashish, an 8th-grade student at Government High School, Kharbai, told us that she had gone to take the recently held Olympiad exam. However, the entire responsibility of reaching the exam center was left on the students.

According to Kashish, neither did the school arrange any vehicle, nor was any fare provided for travel. In desperation, the children had to use pocket money from home or school to take public transport to the exam center. Many students said that if they hadn't had money for the fare that day, they wouldn't have been able to attend the exam at all.

In conversation with The Mooknayak, Kirti, a 5th-grade student at Government Primary School, Rajivnagar, said that on the day of the Olympiad exam, all children had to spend their own money to reach the exam center. The school neither provided any vehicle arrangement nor any assistance.

Kirti said that after reaching the exam center, she had hoped that at least some refreshment arrangement would be there, as the school had mentioned that provisions would be made for the children. But upon arrival, it turned out that no refreshments of any kind were provided.

Another student also said, "There was only drinking water available there. We didn't get biscuits or breakfast, even though we were told that everything would be ready for the children."

These statements from the children make it clear that while the budget was shown as spent in the name of exam organization, on the ground level, students received neither transport facilities nor food, leading to anger among children and parents. The students' experiences raise a big question: where exactly was the ₹80 per student budget allocated by the government for such a state-level Olympiad exam spent? Meanwhile, the lack of transport arrangements and other facilities has also caused disappointment among the children.

Scam in the Name of the Exam!

To understand the state of arrangements in the district, this fact is sufficient: the 70 Jan Shikshan Kendras, established for students of 1964 schools, had already been issued instructions that ₹30 per student would be spent at the center level for food and snacks, and later, the bills for these would be paid by the BRC. This directive was issued by the District Education Center on October 24, 2025, through letter number 7026. Yet, despite these orders, most centers did not provide any facilities to the children. The most worrying aspect is that most children were not even aware that the government had sent a budget of ₹80 for snacks and transport on their behalf.

Students who came to take the exam at the Kharwai cluster clearly stated that they were not given any snacks. When the in-charge principal AK Dubey was asked about this, he said that no such budget is received at his end.

He said that they manage arrangements like tea with the staff themselves when needed. He mentioned that he is currently working as the in-charge, as Principal Archana Tiwari is on leave. Therefore, he doesn't have more information. His statement made it clear that either the budget was withheld at the top level, or irregularities in the entire arrangement are being deliberately concealed.

Officials Say - "No Budget Received"

Meanwhile, in conversation with The Mooknayak, RK Raikwar, an officer at the District Education Training Center, gave clarification on the entire matter. Despite clear instructions for organizing the exam, Raikwar said that no budget was received from the state government for the Olympiad.

The officer's statement becomes even more suspicious when he himself admits that "all bills will be paid in February-March." If no budget was received, then on what basis and for which items will the payments be made? This raises a big question.

When The Mooknayak asked whether the process of submitting bills in schools would now begin, Raikwar said, "If any school submits a wrong bill, we will investigate it."

The Mooknayak's investigation into the Olympiad exam held in Raisen district uncovers several shocking irregularities. Despite children not receiving snacks, transport, and basic facilities, indications of budgets being shown as spent by schools raise serious questions. Meanwhile, the contradictory statements from state education center officials, one claiming no budget was received, and the other assuring payments in February-March, make the entire episode even more suspicious.