SHILLONG: Meghalaya Government would extend the 5th Pay Commission benefits to other categories of employees including teachers of the deficit grant schools.
Replying to a special motion moved by the UDP legislators- Paul Lyngdoh and Jemino Mawthoh on the need to extend financial benefits to school teachers, casual employees, daily wage earners and disadvantaged sections like widows and infirm in sync with the pay hike announced to state government employees as per the 5th Pay Commission awards, Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma maintained that the Government was responsive to all the needs of the different categories of employees.
“Government is committed to take care of other employees who are not covered under state government category,” he said.
Sangma stated that the Education Department had been asked to examine the point of providing support to the teachers even as he informed that the Government had increase the grant in aids to the Managing Committee of the schools with a rider that managing Committees should not pay less to the teachers.
Recalling that in 2010 when government implemented the revised pay structure for its employees, the Chief Minister said that the departments had been asked to pass the benefit to other categories of employees in a similar way.
Maintaining that the terms and references of the Fifth Pay Commission was specifically to examine the pay structure of government employees, he said, “But in the past we have gone beyond this, so there is no reason to worry, it will happen and the work is on (to take care of other categories).”
Sangma also claimed that the government was already prepared and knew what would happen after approving the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations. “So we will do it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister, also slammed the Union Government over the delay in releasing the salary for the SSA teachers and vowed to take up the matter with the Union Government to ensure that it did not to shrug off its responsibility.
Admitting that the release of funds from the Centre government has been irregular, chief minister assured the House that the matter will be resolved at the government level.
“SSA teachers are made to suffer due to complete insensitivity of the Union Government,” he said.
Paul Lyngdoh while initiating discussion on the need to extend financial benefits to school teachers, casual employees, daily wage earners and others had raised the issue of SSA teachers not getting their salary on time.
He said a total of 12,481 teachers serving in SSA schools across the state were yet to receive their salaries for the past eight months.
Taking cognizance of the hardships faced by the people, the opposition MLAS, particularly, Paul Lyngdoh and Jemino Mawthoh of the United Democratic Party, exhorted the government to take immediate and corrective steps in bringing about ease of living among the people.
Paul Lyngdoh pointed out that the while casual employees were paid only Rupees six thousand monthly, the MTC employees have not been paid for seven months.
Lyngdoh also expressed his reservations against the increasing trend of outsourcing of jobs to outside agencies which has led to harassment and exploitation of the job seekers.