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Smriti Irani Asks CBSE For Explanation Over Spelling Mistakes On Official Letterhead

Smriti Irani Asks CBSE For Explanation Over Spelling Mistakes On Official Letterhead
NEW DELHI, INDIA - JULY 27: HRD Minister Smriti Irani arrives to attend the Monsoon Session at the Parliament House on July 27, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Lok Sabha proceedings were repeatedly disrupted as the opposition once again raised the Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues, even as the speaker tried to conduct the business of the house. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - JULY 27: HRD Minister Smriti Irani arrives to attend the Monsoon Session at the Parliament House on July 27, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Lok Sabha proceedings were repeatedly disrupted as the opposition once again raised the Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues, even as the speaker tried to conduct the business of the house. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani today sought an explanation from CBSE over the spelling mistakes in a congratulatory letter send on her behalf to a school teacher for the good results in the board exams.

The letter sent by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) went viral soon after the teacher -- Richa Kumar of DPS Bhilai -- posted it in social media, prompting instant reactions from cross sections of the society.

The Minister's name is spelt incorrectly in Hindi as well as the words "minister" and "sansadhan (in Hindi)".

"I have sought an explanation from CBSE as there was spelling mistakes in some of the letters," she told reporters.

CBSE has apologised for the mistake.

The faux pas also found its way on Twitter:

ना अनपढ़ रहे, ना काबिल हुए।

खामखा देश पे बोझ बने!!!

@smritiirani Mam is this your letterhead???

@NayakRagini ji 😂 pic.twitter.com/gvb1wEXC52

— Saurabh Rai. (@rai_saurabh100) August 20, 2015

Stung by the errors, Irani tweeted "would not misspell my own name in Hindi. Have asked concerned organisation to give an explanation".

@rai_saurabh100 no it's not Saurabh. Would not misspell my own name in Hindi. Have asked concerned organisation to give an explanation.

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) August 21, 2015

Congratulatory letters are sent by the HRD Minister every year to the top performers of CBSE board examinations as well as to teachers. "Thank you for congratulating me on the excellence I exemplify. However, having been a teacher for the last twenty years, your official letter head is an affront to my sensibilities as a Language teacher.

The attached photographs are self explanatory. Please ensure that at least the people who work for you, in your ministry, are well educated," Kumar said in her Facebook post.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.