Teachers’ salary to be regularised, pension plan on anvil
Decks have been cleared for the launch of a new mechanism for payment of monthly salary to teachers through banks. With the State Bank of India (SBI) as well as a few other banks showing keen interest in the project, the government is in the process of finalising the modalities so that chief minister Nitish Kumar could announce it on Teachers' Day on September 5.
Decks have been cleared for the launch of a new mechanism for payment of monthly salary to teachers through banks. With the State Bank of India (SBI) as well as a few other banks showing keen interest in the project, the government is in the process of finalising the modalities so that chief minister Nitish Kumar could announce it on Teachers' Day on September 5.
Confirming this, principal secretary, department of education, Amarjeet Sinha told HT, that the government had taken it up as a challenge. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed with the banks on September 5, but the disbursal of salary will effectively commence from January 1, 2013, as it will require opening of accounts and other logistics,"he added.
Maintaining, that the government was quite particular about ensuring regular monthly salary, Sinha said he was positive about the outcome. Hitherto, salary payment has been the Achilles heel of the government, which also has had to face embarrassment on quite a few occasions over delays.
Under the scheme, districtwise grants-in-aid would be withdrawn from treasury by the drawing and disbursing officers of the concerned district education office (DEO) and the amount would be deposited to the concerned account of the local bodies with the allotted bank. The account will be operated by the member secretary
of the concerned local bodies.
Banks will get standing advice from the local bodies to make payment of teachers' salary from the said account till otherwise advised in the form of a negative list. Under the mechanism, the schools will have to furnish all details about teachers, viz. absenteeism etc. for the last month by fifth day of the month and by 15th the process has to be completed at the school and local bodies' level,he added.
The banks will open salary account for all fixed-pay teachers working in 71762 elementary schools and 2937 secondary schools across the state. The banks accounts will have all the details, viz, name, father/ husbands name, school name, designation, date of birth, joining and retirement, local body name, block/district and mobile number.
On teachers' day, the government would also announce the UTI pension scheme for fixedpay teachers. Though this MoU will also be signed on September 5, it will also be effective from January 1. The government will only be a facilitator in the scheme,said Sinha. The principal secretary said, that it would be up to the teachers to opt for the pension scheme or not. For those opting for the pension scheme, a sum of Rs. 200 would be deducted from the salary, while the government would also contribute Rs. 200.
