In a major decision just before the State Assembly elections, Chhattisgarh State Cabinet on Monday gave consent for merger of services of Shikshakarmis (Shikshak- Panchayat/Nagariya Nikay) from Panchayat to School Education department. The Shikshakarmis have been raising the demand since long and registering protest.
As per the decision, in first phase the services of Shikshakarmis having completed eight years of service would be merged. It would benefit around 1.03 lakh teachers. The merger would be initiated from July 1, 2018. The remaining Shikshakarmis will be merged as they complete the baseline period of eight years.
Briefing the media after Cabinet at Mahanadi Bhawan on Monday evening, Panchayat and Rural Development minister Ajay Chandrakar informed that in first phase around 1.03 lakh teachers having completed eight years of term would be merged with effective from July 1, 2018.
The remaining teachers would be merged as they continue to complete eight years. Thus, around 10,000 teachers would benefit the merger in 2019 and the remaining 38,000 teachers in coming years.
Chandrakar further intimated that the merged teachers would get benefit of
seventh pay commission, allowances, compassionate appointment, promotions and transfers as that of regular teachers of school education department.
The salary of the teachers after the merger would increase by Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000. The state government would incur an additional financial burden of Rs 1,350 crore, he informed.
The merged teachers would from now onwards be known as Teacher (lB) cadre and their management as well as control would from now onwards with be with School Education Department instead of Panchayat Department, the minister said.
The additional financial burden would be cleared through supplementary budget to be tabled in monsoon session of State Assembly.