PRAYAGRAJ, Feb. 2 -- Officials of the state secondary education department will conduct inspections in over 29,000 government-run, government-aided and unaided schools across the state that are affiliated with the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board). The purpose of these inspections is to strictly ensure that teaching is carried out using only authorised textbooks. According to officials, the initiative aims to enforce the use of 70 NCERT-based textbooks, along with 12 textbooks for Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu that the UP Board has published after obtaining due permission from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh has issued directives to all joint and deputy directors of education, as well as district inspectors of schools (DIOSs), to conduct special campaigns from April 1 to April 10 and again from July 1 to July 15 as part of this mission. "The objective is to ensure the availability of authorised textbooks at affordable rates in all schools so that students and parents are not subjected to an unnecessary financial burden," Singh said. For the academic session 2026-27, teaching must be conducted exclusively through the prescribed textbooks. Schools have been strictly instructed not to compel students to purchase guidebooks or reference books from unauthorised printers or booksellers in addition to the NCERT or UP Board textbooks. Continuous monitoring and surprise inspections will be carried out, officials said, and strict action will be taken against any schools or unauthorised vendors found violating the instructions. In cases of non-compliance, punitive action will be initiated under the Intermediate Education Act, 1921. The UP Board has also clarified that the copyright of these textbooks rests with the Board, and piracy or duplication will not be tolerated under any circumstances. If printers or shopkeepers are found selling counterfeit textbooks or charging higher prices, joint legal action will be taken in coordination with the police, administration, commercial tax and income tax departments. Violations of NCERT copyright conditions will attract action under the Copyright Act. Where textbooks are unavailable or in short supply, district officials have been instructed to coordinate with authorised printers or distributors to ensure adequate availability. Book sale camps may also be organised for a specified period in government and aided inter colleges, officials added....