Centre approves revised pay hike for 7.5 lakh teachers

New Delhi: In a pre-Diwali bonanza for teachers and academicians across the country, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared revised pay scales for nearly eight lakh teachers and academic staff of higher educational institutions following the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission.

The decision will benefit 7.58 lakh teachers and equivalent academic staff in the 106 universities and colleges which are funded by the UGC and the Union HRD ministry, and also 329 universities which are funded by the state governments and 12,912 government and private-aided colleges affiliated to state public universities.

“In addition, the revised pay package will cover teachers of 119 Centrally-funded technical institutions — IITs, IISc, IIMs, IISERs, IIITs and NITIE,” a statement said after the meeting.

HRD minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters in a press conference after the meeting of the Union Cabinet that the approved pay scales would be applicable from January 1, 2018.

The annual Central financial liability on account of this measure would be about Rs 9,800 crore, official sources said.

“The implementation of the pay revision will enhance the teachers’ pay in the range of Rs 10,400 and Rs 49,800 as against the extant entry pay due to the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission for the pay of teachers. This revision would register an entry pay growth in the range of 22 per cent to 28 per cent,” the statement said.

For the state government-funded institutions, the revised pay scales will require adoption by resp-ective state governments.

The Centre will bear the additional burden of the states on account of revision of pay scales. The measures proposed in the revised pay structure are expected to improve quality of higher education and also attract and retain talent, he said.