Odisha Crime Branch arrested the former director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) over alleged irregularities in the preparation of school textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. The case matters for UPSC because it combines education governance, institutional accountability and standards of public administration.
What happened
Investigators said the former SCERT chief had overall supervision, coordination, monitoring and approval responsibilities in the textbook development process under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The agency alleged that he approved and forwarded manuscripts for printing without ensuring that factual, scientific, geographical and pictorial content was properly verified.
Odisha Crime Branch described the conduct as criminal negligence and said the arrest was linked to an alleged criminal conspiracy in textbook preparation.
Why the issue is important
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