Nagpur: In some good news ahead of Diwali for hundreds of teachers, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Thursday directed the government to release the pending 50% arrears and start regular salaries for 148 VJ/NT Ashramshalas across the state.
In 2008, the state had issued a government resolution to approve Std XI and XII at these ashramshalas. The GR stated that junior colleges for the backward community would be eligible for grant-in-aid from the fifth year onwards. The colleges were supposed to get 25% grant approval in fifth year, 50% in sixth year, 75% in seventh year and 100% in eighth year, as per the GR.
However, government stopped the salaries of teachers and officials after a couple of months from 2013 onwards. It said that the ashramshalas didn’t have approval from the finance department, and only released funds for nutritional meals of students. The aggrieved teachers and officials from Vidarbha moved the HC in 2015.
An interim order was passed to release 50% arrears of salaries in April 2016. On Thursday, during the final hearing, the HC asked the government to inspect the colleges and release the remaining 50% arrears and start regular pay by March 31, 2019. The HC also said that the petitioners were free to move the court again if the government refused to release the pay, and disposed of the case.
