SHILLONG: The state government on Wednesday agreed to extend benefits based on the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations for salary hike.
Replying to a special motion moved by UDP legislators Paul Lyngdoh and Jemino Mawthoh on the need to extend financial benefits to school teachers, casual employees, daily wagers and disadvantaged sections like widows and infirm, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the government is responsive to the needs of all employees.
“The government is committed to taking care of other employees who are not covered under government category,” he added.
Sangma, who said the government was prepared for the development, asserted that the Education Department has been asked to examine the need to provide support to teachers even as he said that grant in aids to school managing committees has already been increased with a rider that teachers should not be paid less.
Recalling that in 2010 when the government implemented the revised pay structure for its employees, the chief minister said all departments were asked to pass the benefit to other categories of employees.
Sangma pointed out that the terms and references of the commission was to examine the pay structure of government employees but “in the past we have gone beyond this, so there is no reason to worry, it will happen and the work is on”.
The chief minister criticised the Centre for irregular funds and delaying release of SSA teachers’ salary and vowed to ensure that Delhi does not shrug off its responsibility.
“SSA teachers are made to suffer due to complete insensitivity of the Union Government,” he said and added that the matter would be solved.
Lyngdoh 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 are working without pay for the past eight months.
The discussion on the floor of the House came a day after a mass protest was staged by aggrieved teachers in the city.
Both Lyngdoh and Mawthoh exhorted the government to take immediate corrective steps.
Lyngdoh said while casual employees are paid Rs 6,000 a month, MTC employees have not got salary for seven months.
Lyngdoh also expressed his reservations against the increasing trend of outsourcing of jobs to outside agencies that is leading to harassment and exploitation of the job seekers.
