Bhubaneswar: Amid widespread outrage over school textbook errors in Odisha, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has reportedly intervened in the alleged printing scam and sought a response from the authorities concerned in the matter.
According to sources, the department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education has sought a response from the School and Mass Education department of Odisha following the PMO’s intervention.
Odisha’s School and Mass Education Department has been directed to take immediate and appropriate action on the allegations of corruption, financial fraud, conflict of interest, and cover-up in the textbook printing process.
The PMO’s intervention came following a complaint filed by RTI activist and whistleblower Pradip Pradhan alleging there is a scam behind the textbook printing and distribution of error-filled textbooks in the state.
Claiming that a deputy director-level officer at the government press is part of the alleged nexus, the complainant called for a thorough probe into the matter. It was further stated that the official, who belongs to the Commerce Department, has been handling textbook printing work without authorisation since 2022, even though this responsibility legally rests with the School and Mass Education Department.
It was further claimed that the officer concerned has systematically funnelled lucrative printing and supply contracts through a private agency owned and operated by his own wife, amounting to severe conflict of interest. This compromised quality control apart from leading to embezzlement of public funds, also resulted in lakhs of students across Odisha receiving defective and error-ridden textbooks, the complainant alleged.
Notably, the Odisha government on Friday informed the Odisha Assembly that 1,741 errors were found in textbooks for Classes 1 to 8, for which Rs 175 crore was spent on printing and publication. The issue was raised in the Assembly, where School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond gave the details in a written reply.