Bihar govt announces to grant benefits of 7th pay commission to striking teachers

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a sudden U-turn on Friday announced to grant benefits of the 7th Pay Commission to the striking teachers as well under pressures from their protests.

“The state government is considering the demand of the teachers,” the chief minister told a public meeting in Begusarai and asked the striking teachers to better concentrate on teaching rather than strike.

Around 400,000 teachers have been appointed on contractual basis in between 2006 and 2015 by the Nitish Kumar government

Angry teachers had gone on the warpath and also announced to boycott the human chain programme to protest government’s move to deny benefits of 7th pay commission to them.

The teachers’ community went angry after the state government Bihar announced that the contractual teachers are not entitled for availing wage hike after implementation of 7th pay commission.

“They (teachers) are not staffs the state government. They were employed by panchayat and local bodies. Hence they are not entitled for benefits of the 7th Pay Commission,” was how a state government official Rahul Singh had told the media.

Singh is a member of three-member fitment committee headed by former chief secretary GS Kang. The committee formed by the state government has been asked to submit its report by March.

The recommendation of 7th Pay Commission if implemented will entail a burden of around Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) on state exchequer.

The Bihar state government has planned to form world’s longest human chain on January 21 to promote alcohol ban but the threats by the teachers have surely left the government in dilemma given their number strength.

thebiharpost.com