A delegation of the Bihar Sanskrit School Teachers' Association, led by its general secretary Shobha Kant Jha, met Education Minister Mrityunjay Tiwary in his office chamber and submitted a memorandum demanding the payment of arrears of their pay, pension, and other allowances at the earliest, urging the government to save them from starvation deaths.
Memorandum Highlights
The memorandum pointed out that more than 20,000 teachers and non-teaching staff from a total of 576 government-aided Sanskrit schools in the state, most of whom have retired long back, have been fighting for payment of their dues from 1990 to 2015. Despite the orders of the Patna High Court issued on August 13, 2019, in their favor, the state government has not made the payments. The memorandum alleged that after the High Court's judgment, the education department deliberately releases the fund one or two days before the end of the financial year, causing the sanctioned amount to lapse.
Previous Protests
Earlier, in July last year, the Sanskrit teachers had marched on the streets of Patna and staged a massive demonstration before the state legislature to press for the payment of arrears of their salaries, pension, gratuity, and earned leave encashment, but they did not receive any relief.
Demands and Assurance
The aggrieved teachers demanded the immediate release of necessary funds for payment of arrears of their salary and pension after completing their pay fixation in the revised scales of pay. After going through the memorandum, the minister assured the delegation that he would soon convene a meeting to discuss their long-pending demands and take a favorable decision.
