Centre releases Rs 135 cr as SSA teachers’ salary

SHILLONG, MAR 29: Just three weeks after the formation of the six-party Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government led by the NPP, the Centre has released Rs 135 crore for clearing the five-month pending salary of over 12,000 SSA teachers in the state.

“We have received Government of India share of Rs 135.26 crore on March 28,” Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui told reporters here on Thursday.

A total of 12,481 SSA teachers working the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) schools spread across the eleven districts of the state.

He informed that the payment of five-month salary from November to March amounting to Rs 132.48 crore will be immediately release to the teachers.

Rymbui, also UDP legislator from Amlarem constituency, said that one of the toughest challenges faced by the new MDA government, which assumed office this month, was the huge committed liability of the SSA teacher’s salary.

“The government took immediate steps and with the efforts of the chief minister and the education minister who met the central ministers in New Delhi recently, the ministry has released Rs 135 crores for pending recurring expenditure for SSA programme,” he said.

Also thanking the chief minister Conrad K Sangma for taking out effort in pursuing the matter, Rymbui said the money given by the Centre is a big relief to some of the headaches faced by the department.

Asked, the education minister said that delay in releasing the salary of the SSA teachers was due to the fact that the state government is also facing paucity of funds and had to depend on the Centre.

“With the released of the fund which fructified only after the humungous efforts of the CM and his team, the SSA programme would now stabilise in the state,” he said.

Earlier last week, a delegation of the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schools’ Association (MSSASA) in a meeting with the chief minister, had also demanded the immediate release of eight months pending arrear salary of last financial year 2016-17.

When asked on this matter, the education minister however said that there is no more outstanding dues in as far as the salary of the SSA teachers is concerned.

Apart from NPP, an ally of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre, the other coalition partners in the MDA government include United Democratic Party (UDP), Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), People’s Democratic Front (PDF) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

By Our Reporter