The Madhya Pradesh government has spent nearly Rs 2 crore every day on publicity and promotion over the last two years. Yet schools in rural areas of the state such as Barbatpura Primary School in Ashok Nagar district have been waiting years for repairs costing barely anything between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.

Classes have not been held inside the school building for more than two years because of its dilapidated condition and damaged roof. “It has been two or three years since we actually sat inside. I am afraid, so we sit outside,” says one student, describing how children now study under trees or on floor mats spread on the ground.

The building's condition has only worsened. “We noticed the iron rods in the roof — the plaster has fallen off, and it feels scary underneath. One never knows when it might collapse,” says a teacher. Studies are disrupted for three to four months every monsoon, as rising rivers make roads impassable for teachers and students.

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