Drawing attention to the issues relating to delay in payment and non payment of teachers’ salaries under centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) of SSA, language teachers (Hindi) and RMSA, the Department of School Education (DoSE) has sought to bring out the “factual position” of the releases of funds for implementation of various CSS like SSA, RMSA and Hindi teachers.
In a press release, the principal secretary to the government of Nagaland, FP Solo, pointed out that for 2016-17, an amount of Rs. 30780.84 lakh was approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB) for implementation of various components including recurring and non-recurring grants under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Out of the approved budget, Solo said the share of the Centre, which is 90%, was Rs. 27070.96 lakh. He said the Centre so far has released Rs. 10725.34 lakh in three instalments – May 10, 2016 (Ad hoc) Rs. 2600 lakh; November 11, 2016 (1st) Rs. 5813.46 and February 16, 2017 (2nd) Rs. 2311.88.
Principal secretary said there were strict guidelines and norms for utilization of funds for recurring and non-recurring grants, adding that general and recurring grant cannot be used for non-recurring grant and vice-versa. Salary comes under General and recurring grant, he said.
Solo said out of the 2nd instalment of Rs. 2311.88 lakhs, which the department was yet to receive including state matching share, the department would therefore be able to meet only two months’ salary of SSA teachers from November to December, 2016.
He said the department was however hopeful of getting more release from the Ministry of Human Resource Development during March 2017 to meet the salary requirement for the remaining months of 2016-17.
Principal secretary said though the annual work plan of the state under SSA was approved after thorough appraisal, the department was informed by the MHRD that BE for SSA during the current year 2016-17 was Rs. 22,500 crore against the overall approved PAB outlay of Rs. 74,248 crore for all 36 States and UTs of which the central component comes to Rs. 46,700 crore.
He said MHRD was reportedly making all efforts to secure additional funds at RE stage from the Ministry of Finance.
Under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme, the principal secretary said during the 2016-17, the PAB had approved an amount of Rs. 7747.08 lakh out of which Rs. 3548.07 lakh for non-recurring grant and Rs. 4199.00 lakhs was for recurring grant.
An amount of Rs. 3983.33 lakh out of the recurring grant was meant for teachers’ salary, he said.
Out of the PAB approved outlay of Rs. 7747.08 lakhs during 2016-17, Solo said the Centre has released Rs. 2519.58 in three instalments – May 3, 2016 (ad hoc) Rs. 105.14 lakh; July 11, 2016 (1st) Rs. 1321.27 lakh and November 26, 2016 (1st) Rs.1083.17.
Informing that release of the 2nd instalment was awaited from the MHRD, Solo said department would be releasing at least two months’ salary of RMSA teachers for the months of November and December, 2016 within March as soon as fund was released by the Centre.
Principal secretary said Rs. 5326.42 received during 2016 was non-recurring grant for the last five years, which he said cannot be used for payment of salaries.
With regard to Hindi teachers, Solo said the state government appointed 1379 Hindi teachers under CSS called Appointment of Language Teachers’ during the 12th Five Year Plan ( 2012-17 ), which is 100% funded by the Centre.
According to Solo, the department for the current year 2016-17 submitted a proposal of Rs. 4889.06 lakh as salary requirement to the Centre. However, he said only Rs. 600 lakh was released in September 2016.
The monthly salary requirement being Rs. 394.00 lakh, Solo said the state government had however released salary of Hindi teachers for three months, saying the amount released by the Centre was not even sufficient to meet two months’ salary.
He said delay in release of fund for Hindi teachers was due to non placement of fund by the Ministry of Finance to the MHRD. Non release and delay in release of fund by the Centre has affected all the four states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Orissa and Punjab which were implementing this CSS programme.
According to Solo, the Mizoram government has not paid the Hindi teachers for 10 months.
The principal secretary, however, said that the matter for early release and continuation of the scheme (which is ending on March 31, 2017) beyond the 12th Five Year Plan has been taken up with the Centre at the Chief Ministers’ level.
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