Puri: The salaries of 72 headmasters and headmistresses of secondary and elementary schools in Odisha’s Puri district have been stopped for their alleged failure to submit reports of awareness programmes.
The order for salary stoppage for the month of January has been issued by Puri District Education Officer (DEO) Deepak Padhi following repeated reminders to conduct and report activit
ies under the Snake Bite Death Reduction Programme and Lightning Awareness Programme. Each headmaster had received Rs 4,500 to organise the awareness camps in their respective schools.
However, no information or utilisation certificates were submitted regarding the programmes. As a result, the DEO initiated strict action by holding up their January 2026 salaries until further notice.
Officials said the decision aims to enforce accountability and ensure that funds allocated for public safety initiatives are properly utilised. The DEO emphasised that such lapses will not be tolerated, as the programmes are crucial for protecting students and communities from natural hazards.
The enforcement team also indicated that further disciplinary measures may follow if compliance is not ensured.