FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITAGAR, June 29: Aruchal Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has assured to release 14 months pending honorarium of contractual employees under Saakshar Bharat Mission (SBM), a tiol flagship programme to literate India, launched by the Centre during September 2009.
When it was brought to Pul notice that the coorditors under state, district, block and village levels appointed under SBM have not received their honorarium for the last 14 months, the chief minister assured to release the amount immediately, an official report informed here today.
It is pertinent to mention here that the SBM programme was launched by the state government in the year 2010 under which six state coorditors, 60 district coorditors, 152 block coorditors and 3426 village coorditors (Preraks) were appointed on contract basis.
Under the SBM, a total of 3644 coorditors have been appointed by the government covering 152 blocks and 1713 gram panchayats with a target of achieving 2,16,325 adult learners by paying honorarium of Rs 6000 and Rs 2000 per coorditor and preraks per month respectively.
A delegation of All Aruchal Pradesh Saakshar Bharat Mission Employee Association while placing their grievances before the chief minister yesterday apprised that 14 months honorarium to the employees under SBM Programme were pending due to non-release of state matching share for 2013-14 and 2014-15 on time by the state government and subsequent non-release of central grants of Rs 1577 lacs for the year 2015-16 by the Centre under the programme thereby affecting the employees adversely. It was only on March 28 this year; the state matching share of Rs 21.62 lakh for two years was released by the government. After the release of state matching share the Centre could only release Rs 426 lakh to the state against proposed amount of Rs 1577 lakh towards the recurring expenditure, the association informed in the memorandum.
The released amount would only suffice to clear about 6 month’s honorarium to the coorditors/preraks while the remaining 8 months honorarium could only be cleared after receiving balance central grants of Rs 1151 lakh from the Centre, the memorandum added.