Although uniform is mandatory for students in almost all government pre-university and degree colleges in Karnataka, the multi-crore business lacks transparency giving room for suspicions of corruption and nepotism.

Unlike in government schools, where the state supplies school uniforms for free by procuring it through Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act, in government PU and degree colleges, the students themselves have to buy it, spending money from their pocket. However, the students have no liberty to buy it from the vendor of their choice as almost all colleges insist that the students buy the cloth material from a particular dealer while others also want students to stitch it from tailors suggested by them.

Akshata (name changed), a second PUC student of Government Girls College, Balmatta, Mangaluru, said her college had made arrangements in the college premises itself to purchase the uniform cloth materials from the designated vendor. She paid Rs 700 for cloth for a pair of salwar kameez and got it stitched from a tailor of her choice.

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Jayanna CD, DDPU (Deputy Director Pre-University), Dakshina Kannada, said the respective college principals select a local vendor who can supply the cloth material at a cost affordable for the students. He said the principals keep the local MLA, who is the College Development Committee (CDC) president, in the loop before finalising the vendor. He argued that they go for a single vendor to ensure that, "Uniformity is maintained and there is no variation in colour and design." 

But in most cases, sources said that the principals select a vendor who is recommended by the local MLA. A lecturer from a degree college in Chamarajanagar district that has over 1,000 students said that despite the bulk business that the vendor gets from a college, he does not give any special discount to the students which means that the deal is shady. "As a sign of goodwill gesture, the vendor gives some gifts to the college. But definitely, the commission will also change hands," he said.

Another lecturer from a government college in Mangaluru said given the huge margin (up to 25 per cent) in the garment business, it is unlikely that the deal is transparent and stressed the need to bring transparency in the deal.

But this doesn't seem to happen in all cases. A vendor in Mandya said she supplies uniforms to only one PU college in a remote village in Mandya. "The college principal requested me to give maximum discount as the students are very poor. Some students can't even afford to pay for the uniforms and the lecturers help them out," she pointed out.

Narayan BA, President of Karnataka State Tailors Association, said that a decade ago, the tailors had their hands full for two months during the admission season. But despite the number of schools and colleges going up over the years, the uniform work they get has dwindled which indicates that a few well-connected garment shops and tailors are cornering all work