Festive season: Early salary for Bihar govt staff again, but wait for thousands of teachers continues

Like last month, Bihar government employees will again get their salary this month (October) early in view of important festivals like Diwali and Chhath, finance minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said on Monday.

Last month, the government had released the salary to all its employees from September 25 itself, a day before the start of Navratra.

Choudhary said it would be even earlier this month and the decision had been taken following the CM’s directive in this regard. “The salary disbursal will start from October 20 itself. Diwali falls on October 24 and at the month end there is Chhath. Due to Covid pandemic, the festivities remained restricted in the last couple of years, but this year it will be free from the fear,” he said.

However, for thousands of college and school teachers, even regular salary payment continues to be a big ask. “Durga Puja is over and we remained without timely salary. Now, Diwali and Chhath are also approaching. The new education minister had termed the salary and arrear payment as the gift of the new government, but even that has not been paid so far. Even in the festive season, the salary of September and October and arrears have not reached the districts,” said Manoj Kumar Yadav, president of the TeT-STET qualified teachers’ association.

Yadav said teachers were also working in the government schools and they should all so be treated at par. “The teachers stare at the prospect of a dark Diwali after a lacklustre Dussehra. How can the teachers work if there is darkness in their homes. Asking for timely monthly salary is not too much,” he said.

The situation is no better in the universities and colleges, as the wait for them gets longer even in the festive season. Even retired teachers and employee have not got pension after July in many universities.

A senior government official of the education department said the delay in release of grant for the universities was due to the delay on part of the universities to timely submit utilisation certificates for previous grants despite repeated reminders. The last time the government had released grant for salary and pension in universities was for June and July.

“We want to release the grants, but the finance department is particular about utilisation certificates. We are trying. Every time we have to plead on behalf of the universities that the utilisation certificates will be submitted and the fresh grant should be released, but the universities continue to delay. The accumulated outstanding amount over the years is now close to ₹10,000 crore. There is financial norm and the universities must stick to it,” said Dipak Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary, department of education.

Federation of university teachers’ association of Bihar (FUTAB) general secretary, professor Sanjay Kumar, who is also an MLC, said that it was unlikely that the teachers and employees of universities would get salary before Diwali. “At BRA Bihar University, we have not got salary for August and September, while October is now drawing to an end. Even pensions have been left to fend for themselves. Their revised pension has also been paid despite assurance from the minister in the Legislative Council to my question. Timely salary is a basic demand,” he said.

FUTB working president KB Sinha said the delay in payment of salary was neither a sudden development nor a new issue, as the government had failed to fix accountability for delays, causing undue hardship to teachers and employees, who had nothing to do with the processes.

Sinha said it was not just about salary and pension, even dearness allowance was not up to date in universities, even though government staff avail it from the day it is notified.

“The seventh pay arrears of pensioners are still unpaid in universities. There is no mechanism for release of salary and pension grants on monthly basis after assessing the requirements in consultation with the universities. Once fresh grant is released, there will be another wait for the next. Unfortunately, the key positions of registrars/finance officers are also under additional charge in some universities,” he said.