Edu dept staff threaten to expose corruption in central funds
Members of the Daftari Karamchari Union, Punjab, under the aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan (RMSA), on Saturday threatened to expose "corrupt" practices of the state government in misuse of the central funds.
Members of the Daftari Karamchari Union, Punjab, under the aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan (RMSA), on Saturday threatened to expose "corrupt" practices of the state government in misuse of the central funds.
Union general secretary Ashish Julaha, addressing the gathering during a protest at district administrative complex (DAC) here, alleged that Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had held two meetings with the union leaders in February and March, respectively, and assured them that over 1,100 non-teaching staffers would be regularised by March 31, but to no avail.
"We have decided to expose corruption in the education department by making public complete data on funds received from the centre and the expenditure incurred under various heads in a shabby manner," Julaha announced, adding that chief secretary Rakesh Singh, in a meeting during the Moga byelection, also assured to regularise their jobs, but that also proved a farce.
"Badal has been misleading us on the issue for the past one year. We are holding district-wise protests to press government to accept our demands. As of now, on an average an employee is fetching R10,000 to R12,000 per month salary on contract basis. The regularisation will mean double salary for us," he said.
The protesters were carrying placards bearing slogans like "Badal is missing". "We searched for missing Badal throughout state. He is missing since long. Now, we presume him to be dead that's why we are burning his effigy," a union leader made the announcement before setting the effigy on fire amid anti-Badal slogans.
Meanwhile, the district unit of Sanjha Adhiyapak Morcha, led by Sheetal Singh Chahal, State Subordinate Federation state president, and Karnail Singh of Government Teachers' Union, too, held separate protest demonstration at DAC against the education department policies.
The protesting teachers demanded scraping of schools rationalisation policy and regularisation of contractual teachers under the SSA and RMSA.
They decried the department for abolishing the post of headmaster in schools having intake of less than 150 students. Besides, the teachers demanded that a CBI probe should be ordered to expose prevailing corruption in the department.