In Chandigarh, more than 35,000 students from 117 government schools are beginning the academic year without textbooks, relying instead on photocopies and digital printouts of chapters. This situation arises from a delay in the arrival of textbooks following a decision by the Union Territory administration to extend the provision of free textbooks up to Class 12, a change from the previous policy that only covered students up to Class 8. Director of School Education Nitish Singla confirmed that the hard copies of chapters have been distributed temporarily, and the textbooks are expected to arrive soon. The administration has allocated ₹4 crore for this initiative, which aims to alleviate the financial burden on students and their families. While classes 9 and 10 have commenced, classes 11 and 12 are still pending start dates due to the ongoing textbook shortage.