Developmental projects to suffer due to enhancement of salaries of Adhoc teachers: CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 4, 2022

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said Govt plans for developmental projects will be affected as the total impact of the enhancement of grant in aid for adhoc school will roughly come to Rs 100 crore annually.

“The government will have to spend annually about Rs 310 crore from Rs 212 crore for implementation of the enhancement. The decision will be effective from July 1,” he informed.

The cabinet meeting refused to discuss the demand for a 5% yearly increment.

The reason cited by the chief minister was because of the fact that these are privately run adhoc schools and not government schools.

“We have not decided on giving 5% increment…as the entire onus is actually on the school managing committees (SMCs).

They may be charging fees but the fees never come to the government and it stays with the SMCs,” he said.

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He further also that this is an overall grant that the government gives as they feel that education is important.

The provision to have a 5% increment is something that Govt did not take a decision as it will be difficult keeping the financial challenges and constraints in mind.

The chief minister also informed that the government’s decision to enhance the grant-in-aid by Rs 100 crore will affect the budgetary allocation as it will have to cut from other departments’ budgets to make up for this.

Lots of development aspects will be affected, Sangma said that they will not be able to take up the kind of projects that they had earlier intended.

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The govt has a lot of projects to be taken up in C&RD or in police department, in the education department itself – I have sanctioned about Rs 100 crore more than I had put funds for new buildings and I had kept another plus Rs 150 crore to improve all the government lower primary schools by giving them 2-3 lakh each,” he claimed.

The Chief Minister said the government is yet to go down to the details of the matter while adding “These exercises are going on and as we move along and as we see the performance of the different departments, we will decide on how we will have to adjust the budget.”