Teachers have objected to the proposal of the government to hike the monthly compensation of state ministers and MLAs contending that thousands of teachers are yet to be paid salaries for years. In a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, a MLC from teacher’s constituency Nago Ganar has asked them to reconsider the hike, failing which the teachers would resort to morchas and agitations.
Reacting sharply to the Cabinet’s decision to increase the salaries and pensions of the ministers and MLAs, the Permanently Unaided School Principals Association (PUSPA) said that it was surprising that the current government had money to pay ministers and MLAs but none for teachers who had been working without pay for the past 15 years.
“Thousands of teachers have been living a hand-to-mouth existence as they are not being paid salaries by the government. They have participated in numerous morchas, agitations and protests but all they got is empty assurances. However, the ministers and MLAs have got salary and pension hikes easily without having to resort to agitations,” said Prashant Redij, a spokesperson of the PUSPA.
“Before going ahead with the hike, the state should look into the teachers’ grouse until which the hike for ministers and MLAs should be kept on hold,” said Mr Ganar in the letter.
Mr Redij said if the government did not respond in favour of the aggrieved teachers, they would have no option but to hold morchas and agitations to force the government to roll back its decision of the hike.
