On the call of the All-Kerala Private College Teachers Association (AKPCTA), members of the association, along with the wife of state Finance Minister KN Balagopal, staged a protest in front of the government secretariat demanding revision of UGC pay scales and arrears of outstanding dues.
Dr. Asha participated in the protest on Saturday as convener of the women’s wing of AKPCTA.
The state government implemented the hike in the UGC pay scales recommended by the UGC 7th Pay Commission to college and university teachers in the state with effect from January 1, 2016. However, the arrears have not yet been paid to them.
The total amount needed to clear the arrears has to be shared equally by the Centre and state governments. The Centre government would provide financial assistance to state governments to implement the pay revision through reimbursement.
The release of this amount from the Centre is a bone of contentions between the Centre and the state about the allotment of Central funds to Kerala. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently came out against the Kerala government for misrepresenting facts on Central fund allocation.
On the of 7th UGC pay revision, the Ministry of Education informed that the scheme of 50 per cent Central share (7th CPC), through reimbursement was given to those state governments who adopted and implemented the revised pay scales as per the 7th CPC, subject to fulfilment of all the conditions laid down in the scheme and submission of the complete proposal as per the guidelines on or before 31st March, 2022,” Nirmala Seetharaman said.
“The Kerala government didn’t fulfil the requisite conditions, hence the funds couldn’t be released,” she added
Replying to Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that “not one rupee” due to the state government being held by the Centre, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently said the state government has to get Rs 750 crore from the Union government as part of the UGC salary revision of university and college teachers.
The CM said the state government has to get Rs 750 crore from the Union government as part of the UGC salary revision of university and college teachers. By March 31, 2022, we informed the Union government that this money had been disbursed. We have to get (50% of) the disbursed money,” he said.
The Centre has taken the stand that the grant will be given if the 7th Central Pay Commission is fully implemented. Kerala was not able to produce the documents of payment of revised salary or to collect the money by properly convincing the situation. Kerala also did not take into account the Centre’s ultimatum to finally provide the documents of the amount sanctioned before March 31, 2022.
It has been reported that the state government did not pay the UGC salary revision arrears dues to university and college teachers as claimed by the chief minister and thereby lost Rs. 750 crore in Central assistance. Now, the college teachers, including the state finance minister’s wife, are on the path of protests.