Bhubaneswar: In response to growing public anger over inaccuracies in school textbooks in Odisha, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has intervened, seeking an explanation from relevant authorities regarding the situation.
Sources indicate that the Ministry of Education’s School Education and Literacy department has contacted the School and Mass Education department in Odisha following the PMO’s involvement.
The Odisha School and Mass Education Department has been instructed to promptly and effectively address allegations concerning corruption, financial misconduct, conflicts of interest, and attempts to conceal wrongdoing in the textbook printing process.
This intervention by the PMO followed a complaint from RTI activist and whistleblower Pradip Pradhan, who has claimed that a scam is behind the printing and distribution of textbooks filled with errors in the state.
Pradhan alleges that a deputy director-level official at the government printing press is part of this alleged scheme, calling for a comprehensive investigation. This official, associated with the Commerce Department, has reportedly been overseeing textbook printing operations without appropriate authorization since 2022, despite this task being designated to the School and Mass Education Department.
Furthermore, it has been alleged that this official has been directing profitable printing and supply contracts to a private firm managed by his wife, which raises significant concerns about conflicts of interest. The complainant argues that this not only compromised quality control but also led to the misappropriation of public funds, resulting in numerous students across Odisha receiving defective and erroneous textbooks.
Importantly, the Odisha government revealed on Friday during an Assembly session that a total of 1,741 errors were identified in textbooks for Classes 1 to 8, which cost Rs 175 crore to print and publish. School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond provided these details in a written response during the Assembly proceedings.
