Delhi CM Warns Schools Against Vendor Purchase Coercion

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta issued a stern warning on Thursday to private and aided schools across the national capital, prohibiting them from coercing parents into purchasing uniforms, books, and stationery from specific vendors.

Gupta directed all schools to prominently display notices on their premises, websites, and in-house stores stating that parents are free to buy these items from any vendor of their choice. Schools may provide a list of five or six vendors for convenience, but no compulsion is allowed. Violations could lead to strict legal action, including potential government takeover in serious cases. "Every school will state it clearly on its notice board, on its website, and at any store it operates that parents are free to buy uniforms, books, and stationery from anywhere. There will be no coercion, no captive buying, no single-vendor diktat," Gupta stated in a post on X. She added, "My inspections are not a gimmick. They are enforcement in action. They are driven by the voices of parents who have written to me, telling me where I must go next."

The measures build on recent directives from the Directorate of Education, which had already instructed schools to...