At a time when the State Government is facing sharp criticism for its Block Grant policy and is yet to make up its mind on converting the minuscule grant to Grant-in-Aid (GIA) in respect of college teachers in the 662 and 488 groups, the Accountant General (AG) of Odisha’s report that fixation of the quantum of the Block Grant was faulty has added to its discomfiture.
The AG audit report on functioning of the Department of Higher Education (DHE) has among others found serious loopholes in the calculation of salary slabs for lecturers under the GIA Order 2008 and GIA Order 2009.
The AG report has cited that while the lecturers in the 662 category colleges are getting about 36 per cent less than their actual entitlement, their counterparts in the 488 colleges are deprived of 55 per cent of their actual salary in the Block Grant mode.
Notably, the State Government had implemented Bock Grant salary in 2004 for the first time and later extended the same grant in 2008 and 2009 by framing GIA Order 2008 and GIA Order 2009.
While in 2004, the salary of a lecturer had been fixed at Rs11, 139 which included Rs6,500 Basic Pay, 41 per cent DA at Rs3,239 and 7 increments at Rs200 each totaling Rs1,400, in the 2008 GIA Order, the salary for the lecturers was calculated at Rs5,773 and in the 2009 GIA Order, the salary was again fixed at Rs11,139. By this faulty calculation, while not only were the lecturers deprived of their actual due, one group was far discriminated against the other. Political affiliation and lobby was largely to be blamed for this hurriedly fixed salary slabs and wide gaps in the salaries of the two groups of lecturers.
The AG report stated that the Block Grant on January 1, 2006 should have been Rs20,410 (Pay Rs15,810, Grade Pay (GP) Rs4,600), on January 1, 2007, Rs22,283 (Pay Rs16,422, GP Rs4,600, 6 per cent DA at Rs1,261), on January 1, 2008, Rs24,251 (Pay Rs17,053, GP Rs4,600, 12 per cent DA at Rs2,598), on January 1, 2009, Rs27, 210 (Pay Rs17,703, GP 4,600, 22 per cent DA at Rs4,907), on January 1, 2010, Rs31,012 (Pay Rs18,372, GP 4,600 and DA at 35 per cent at Rs8,040) and on January 1, 2011, Rs35, 728 (Pay Rs19,061, GP Rs4,600 and DA at 51 per cent at Rs12,067).
The AG clearly pointed out that while the Bock Grant for the 662 category college lecturers was revised from Rs5,733 to Rs14,317 in 2014 by enhancing Pay, GP and adding one increment, it should have been fixed at Rs22,283. Similarly, the Block Grant for the 488 category lecturers should have been fixed at Rs35,728 instead of the current Rs16,114. The revised salary of the 488 group lecturers from Rs11,139 to Rs16,114 included marginal hike in Pay, GP, besides addition of five increments.