“Teacher’s Day gift:” 685 Punjab teachers put on duty to make ration cards

The Ludhiana district administration has assigned 658 government school teachers to verify applications for new ration cards under the Punjab government's 'Meri Rasoi' scheme. The deployment of teachers comes as internal examinations are set to begin in state-run schools. SDM (East) Jasleen Kaur Bhullar directed the district education officers to relieve the teachers immediately, stating that the forms of beneficiaries applying for ration cards need to be verified.

The order was received by the teachers on Saturday, despite being issued on Friday. Teachers, however, have reacted sharply to this move, terming it a violation of Section 27 of the Right to Education Act. They argue that they have already been assigned numerous non-academic duties and that this latest task undermines their ability to focus on preparing students for their exams.

Section 27 of the RTE Act explicitly prohibits teachers from being deployed for non-education work, such as Population Census, disaster relief duties, or election-related tasks. The Punjab government's Meri Rasoi scheme, announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in February, aims to provide essential food items to 40 lakh beneficiary families.