CM Suvendu Adhikari donates Rs 25L for Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s school, Mitra Institution, promises inclusion in central schemes
Times of India | 7 July 2026
Kolkata: Mitra Institution, Bhowanipore, a century-old school, will receive Rs 25 lakh for renovation.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the grant during his visit to the school, Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s alma mater, on Monday to pay tribute to the leader on his 125th birth anniversary. Adhikari said Mookerjee’s memorabilia, kept at the school, would be restored. “This school has a strong bond with Syama Prasad Mookerjee. It is my responsibility to upgrade and renovate it. The space for school is fixed and limited, but even within that, we have to see how to make the institute even better.”
Mookerjee studied at this heritage school from 1906 to 1917 and was also associated with its managing committee.
Adhikari pointed out that when his representatives had visited the school, the officials did not ask for new development work but for funds for renovation. “They said that due to funds shortage and lack of compassion from those who were there earlier—MPs and MLAs—they could not do anything. They made a small request to me to get the renovation done,” he said. The Rs 25 lakh will be allotted from Adhikari’s MLA local area development fund.
Adhikari urged school education minister Dipak Barman to help protect the institute without changing its structure. He said, “We request the school education minister to include the school in the PM-Shree scheme. I have also told the school education principal secretary to ensure this school is included in the central scheme, named after Atal ji.” The CM said he would also ask I&CA principal secretary Soumitra Mohan to consider if funds from the Rs 200 crore, allocated for Mookerjee’s statue and year-long celebrations, could be used for the school.
School headmaster Raja Dey and teachers expressed their happiness at the announcements at the event, which was attended by several ministers and secretaries.. “The school requires immediate renovation, which the CM promised would start soon. We have lots of precious belongings of Mookerjee that need to be preserved and restored with the state funds,” Dey said.
Among the other institutes, Calcutta University, too, observed the day at an event at Senate Hall, where scientist Jishnu Basu said, “We are happy Bengal has taken a leading role to celebrate the Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary.”