MUMBAI, Feb. 14 -- The State School Education Department has issued a Government Resolution (GR) introducing significant changes to admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Under the revised process, parents applying online for the 25% reserved seats will now be able to view only those schools located within a one-kilometre radius of their registered residential address. Earlier, parents had a wider choice while filling out the online form and were required to submit documents at the time of admission. As per the new rules, parents can select a maximum of 10 schools, but only those within the one-kilometre limit will appear on the portal. If applications exceed the number of available seats in a school within this radius, the lottery for that school will be conducted in the first round itself. A selected student will be allotted only one school. The GR mandates that all required documents must be uploaded at the time of filling the online application. The address provided must match the one on the Aadhaar card, failing which physical verification may be carried out. Schools are required to issue receipts to parents regardless of whether admission is granted or denied, and the status must be updated on the system. In cases where admission is refused, parents can lodge an online complaint. Group education officers and regional officers have been authorised to take appropriate action. If a child does not possess an Aadhaar card at the time of admission, both parents and the school will be responsible for obtaining one. Schools must update Aadhaar details on the RTE portal and the Saral system. The department has announced that the admission process for the 2027-28 academic year will be conducted between January and April. All eligible schools must register for the 25% quota. The resolution also warns that admissions will be cancelled if fake income or other forged documents are submitted, and legal action will be initiated against parents in such cases. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party state spokesperson Mukund Kirdat criticised the move. He claimed that private schools are yet to receive nearly Rs.2,200 crore in pending reimbursements and alleged that the one-kilometre rule could result in vacant seats, thereby reducing the state's financial burden....