Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 28:

Odisha Government today announced a pay hike for about 85,000 Gana Sikshaks and Sikshya Sahayaks of the state.

Debi Prasad Mishra

As per information provided by School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra in Bhubaneswar today, the hike has been approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and would be retrospectively implemented from December 2015.

The remuneration of various types of teachers has been increased between Rs 2200 and Rs 3000 per month. The state government would need to spend Rs 276.95 crore more per year to meet the increased expenses.

“There are 62491 Siksha Sahayaks in Odisha. Out of them there are 27645 are general Siksha Sahayaks. While their earlier package used to be Rs 5200, they would receive Rs 7400 per month henceforth excluding the EPF. Including EPF, the amount would shoot up to Rs 8407. Similarly, the 34,846 junior teachers would receive a monthly remuneration of Rs 9200 excluding EPF instead of the Rs 7000,” said Mishra.

“The 256 trained matriculate gana sikshaks would receive Rs 6400 as against Rs 3700 earlier, the 16868 untrained Gana Sikshaks with Plus Two and above as educational qualification would receive Rs 7000 as against Rs 4000 earlier and the 536 non-trained Matriculate Gana Sikshaks would now get Rs 5600 as against Rs 3200 earlier,” he added.

Overall 85,003 teachers would be benefited and the state government would need to spend more than Rs 23 Crore extra every month. The cost to the exchequer would go up from Rs 648.64 crore to Rs 925.59 crore following the salary hike.

While many teachers welcomed the decision of the government, Odisha Gana Shikshak Mahasangha President Sarat Chandra Nayak termed the hike “too little, too late” and requested the government to consider revising the salary.