A peculiar incident has surfaced in Bihar where a male government teacher was granted maternity leave through an online portal and reportedly took a week-long break, raising eyebrows on social media.

The anomaly was discovered when users of the government’s leave application portal for teachers shared a screenshot of the sanctioned leave on social media, drawing widespread attention.

Authorities, however, have clarified that the incident was a result of a “technical error” in the system.

“It appears to be a case of incorrect entry in the leave application format. The issue is purely technical and will be corrected,” stated Archana Kumari, the education officer of Mahua block in Vaishali district, where the teacher, Jitendra Kumar Singh, is employed.

Kumari acknowledged that maternity leave is exclusively for women but noted that male employees are entitled to ‘pitritva avakash’ (paternity leave) to care for their newborns.

“We are investigating the matter and ensuring the error is rectified. Other complaints, such as deductions in earned leave when casual leave was applied for, are also being looked into,” she added.

The incident has sparked discussions about the efficacy of the online portal and its need for refinement.

Source: PTI

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