Bhubaneswar, Jan 22: The District Education Officer (DEO) of Puri, Deepak Padhi, has ordered the suspension of salaries of 72 headmasters and headmistresses serving in secondary and elementary schools under the Puri Education District for failing to submit mandatory reports related to snakebite and lightning awareness campaigns.

According to official sources, the School and Mass Education Department had last year provided ₹4,500 to each headmaster to organise village-level awareness programmes on lightning strikes and snakebite prevention during the monsoon season, a period when such incidents are frequent in Odisha. The funds were meant to conduct outreach activities and educate local communities on safety measures to reduce deaths caused by natural hazards.

However, despite repeated reminders, the concerned headmasters allegedly failed to organise the awareness camps and did not submit utilisation certificates (UCs) or any related reports to the district education office. Taking serious note of the lapse, the DEO decided to initiate disciplinary action.

In a letter issued to the concerned authorities, Padhi stated that the salaries of the listed headmasters for January 2026 have been withheld until further orders due to non-submission of UCs for the Lightning Awareness Programme and Snake Bite Death Reduction Programme.

The DEO warned that strict action would continue unless compliance is ensured, stressing the importance of accountability and effective implementation of public awareness initiatives.

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