Letter to the Editor
Sir,
In response to the article published in your daily on 19 October 2025 we would like to submit the following:
PYDS is a community service institution that provides holistic care and quality education to the needy and deserving children of our state of Uttarakhand, at virtually no cost to their families. As many as 364 of our 503 students are girls. Our students are drawn from the city, its outlying villages like Kimadi and Bitarly, as well as remote villages from a large number of the state’s districts – Almora, Bageshwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Pauri, Tehri and Uttarkashi. Starting from humble origins 23 years ago, our alumni are today engineers, designers, physiotherapists, architects, as well as marketing and IT professionals. Recently our students have also broken into the prestigious ranks of NDA, India Navy and Merchant Navy.
We take pride in serving our communities with integrity and our former students have made a significant difference to their families and served as role models in their communities.
Virtually our entire operations and assets are funded by our generous donors, both Companies and Foundations through CSR, as well as by dedicated individuals. Parents’ contributions meet barely 2% of the total expense incurred by PYDS on their children.
Our teachers and staff are qualified and skilled, and it is through their commitment and diligence that PYDS is able to make a huge positive impact on the lives and prospects of our children, their families and communities.
In respect of the points made about the dismissal from service of our former staff member, Mrs Kanchan Dhyani, we would like to state the following:
Mrs Dhyani was removed from service on account of her refusal to accept her assigned responsibilities, and her gross misconduct against the Principal and other staff.
All of Mrs Dhyani’s dues, both, under the terms of her employment and Maternity Act have been settled. There has been no case of economic or mental exploitation of Mrs Dhyani as alleged by her at the Women’s Commission. There is no directive from the Chairperson of the Women’s Commission to reinstate her in service. A directive to reinstate her services was received from SDM, Dehradun. That she conducted hearings and arrived at any conclusions is not known to us, since we have not received any update on the proceedings, nor a response to our detailed submission of facts to her.
The High Court of Uttarakhand has found substance in our submission. The order issued by the SDM, Dehradun, referred to above instructing reinstatement of Mrs Dhyani’s services has been set aside and Mrs Dhyani has been given the liberty to approach the Educational Tribunal/District Judge, should she so decide.
Mrs Dhyani has made allegations against PYDS at various fora about its non-compliance with multiple laws and regulations without submitting any evidence. These allegations have been made out of context and are strenuously denied.
In conclusion, we would like to state that the entire effort has been made only to malign the reputation of PYDS, an organisation that treats its staff with fairness and respect and serves its communities for the upliftment of its underprivileged children, without any selfish interest or profit motive.
Yours etc.,
PYDS Management
