The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed the state government to take action with regard to implementation of the revised pay package for college and university teachers of the state.

In a fax message sent to the state HRD secretary, the UGC has pleaded for payment of revised pay, enhancement of the age of superannuation from 62 to 65 years, and release of 40 per cent arrears during the current financial year itself. The payment may be made taking an undertaking from each beneficiary that any excess payment made due to incorrect fixation shall be adjusted against the future payments due.

Taking note of the UGC’s notification about revised pay package, the leaders of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations of Bihar (FUTAB) and the Federation of University Service Teachers’ Associations of Bihar (FUSTAB) have appealed to the chief minister to implement it in a time frame formulated by the Union HRD ministry. They pointed out that several state governments have already acted on the Union HRD ministry notification and started making payment of the revised scale.

Mayawati government in UP took a cabinet decision last week to implement the sixth payscale for the teachers of all the colleges and universities of the state.

In a memorandum submitted to the CM, FUTAB working president K B Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh and FUSTAB president Ram Jatan Sinha and secretary Dilip Chaudhary pointed out that over 40 per cent post of teachers are vacant and with ambitious plan of both the Centre and state government to increase the number of colleges and universities, a large number of teachers would be required to cope with the enhanced load. It is for these reasons and also to retain the experienced teachers that the Central government had decided to enhance the age of retirement of teachers from 62 to 65 years.

The Bihar government perhaps anticipated this contingency long time back and amended Section 67 of the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, and Section 64 of Patna University Act, 1976, to provide that the date of retirement of a teaching employee will be the same as the UGC decides in future.

Thus, the age of retirement be raised uniformly to 65 years as per UGC directive and as per provisions of the existing university Acts, they added.

Patna University Teachers’ Association president Dharm Prakash and general secretary Randhir Kumar Singh have also urged the state government to implement the revised UGC pay package, including enhancement of the age of superannuation, at the earliest.

Source: Jaibihar