Spurred into action by a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, the state has set up an eight-member panel to weigh the issue of heavy school bags and asked it to come up with solutions within two months.

Despite doctors pointing out the adverse effects they can have on children, heavy school bags have long been a sticking point between parents, schools and activists, said a front page report in this paper yesterday.