MUMBAI, Dec. 24 -- Teachers organisations across Maharashtra have warned the state government that they will collectively "disconnect" from official digital platforms for a limited period if the growing burden of data-entry work through mobile applications is not reduced. The warning comes even as the government has introduced new apps for various data entries, adding to what teachers say is an already unmanageable digital workload. At present, school teachers are required to operate more than 38 different apps and regularly submit information through at least 10 online links every week. Despite repeated complaints and representations over the last few years, teachers allege that new platforms continue to be added without removing older ones or streamlining the system. On Tuesday, the Maharashtra Prathamik Shikshak Samiti (MPSS), a teacher's organisation, wrote a letter to the education minister, demanding that teachers be formally allowed to disconnect from non-essential digital work for certain hours or days. The letter states that excessive app-based reporting is directly affecting classroom teaching, student engagement and teachers' mental well-being. Vijay Kombe, chairperson of MPSS, said the issue was no longer about resistance to technology but about the way it was being imposed. "Teachers are not against digital tools but when we are forced to spend hours every day uploading the same information on multiple apps, it takes away from our core responsibility of teaching children," he said. "This continuous digital pressure has become unsustainable." A primary school teacher, citing the concerns raised in the letter, said that teachers were effectively on round-the-clock duty because of app notifications and deadlines. "Even after school hours, we are expected to update attendance, mid-day meal data and various surveys on our personal phones," he said. "There is no fixed time to rest or prepare lessons. We are asking for the right to disconnect digitally so that teaching does not suffer." According to the letter, teachers are also paying from their pocket for government-mandated apps, including data expenses and extra storage....