Odisha revises pay scale of over one lakh elementary school teachers, employees

The teachers play a crucial role in elections and the cabinet decision would give a fillip to the prospects of the Biju Janata Dal-led government in the state, said officials

Updated on: Mar 10, 2024, 13:48:55 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneshwar: The Odisha government on Saturday revised the pay structure of state elementary school teachers and mass education departments. The decision would benefit over 100,000 school employees, officials aware of the matter said.

“The state government’s decision would entail an annual expenditure of Rs.587 crore and benefit 104, 350 employees”, said officials.

The cabinet chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik also announced that retiring teaching and non-teaching employees of non-government schools receiving block grants from the government would get a one-time benefit of Rs.10 lakh and Rs.5 lakh, respectively.

Over the last few years, teachers of elementary schools, headmasters and officers working in the elementary cadre have been demanding pay revision. In consideration of their demands, the government of Odisha has decided to modify their pay structure, officials added.

The teachers play a crucial role in elections and the cabinet decision would give a fillip to the prospects of the Biju Janata Dal-led government in the state, said officials.

Similarly, the one-time retirement benefit to the teaching and non-teaching staff was to comply with the order of Orissa high court in 2020.

The high court had held that employees, both teaching and non-teaching, in non-government-aided educational institutions receiving aid from the state government were eligible to get a pension.

Instead of paying regular pensions, the government has decided to give one-time retirement benefits, said officials.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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