Grant-in-Aid (GIA) has virtually turned a day dream for thousands of lecturers and employees of 662 category colleges in the State though it is for the last 20-25 years that they are in the job without due salary.
Established in the rural areas that they are, these colleges have been serving the far-flung, rural and tribal populace. Had the Government undertaken any scheme to provide higher education to these areas, it would have been a huge burden on the State exchequer. On the contrary, for the last many years, these institutions have been functioning without the Government having to spend a single pie.
The employees, despite all odds, are working with the hope that one day they would get GIA, but even as many are on the verge of their retirement, getting fair remuneration and status of a Government employee has remained a wild goose chase.
From 1990 onwards these institutions came up after the State Government gave permission, recognition and affiliation to the CHSE and different universities. Private managements ran the colleges and had the right to appoint the qualified persons in different posts in accordance with the existing norms.
In 1994, the Biju Patnaik Government declared a GIA policy to extend 1/3rd of grant on the expiry of three years, 2/3rd on five years and full GIA on the completion of seven years in backward districts and the same on the basis of 5/7/9 years in coastal and advanced districts of the State.
But all that remained in red-tape. The 1994 policy was never extended to cover the 662 category colleges. After long years of resistance, the Government considered to pay Block Grant to these colleges at the rate of 40 per cent of their salary of an old scale of pay.
Consequently, the salary was too low and disgraceful. It was tantamount to getting nothing. What was galling was the Government at the behest of a hypocrite bureaucracy considered last 20 years of the service of the employees as a zero period.
Again considering the injustice to the employees, the Government enhanced the 40 per cent Block Grant to full Block Grant while not caring a hoot to the long standing demand of the staff to provide regular grant (GIA) instead of the Block Grant. As a result, thousands of lecturers and employees even after long years of service are still struggling to get GIA.
Meanwhile, some lecturers who knocked at the door of the High Court of Odisha against the injustice have won the case. The tribunal has asked the Government to provide the GIA to the employees without further delay. However, despite the court’s ruling, the Government is still delaying the process.
lecturers Saradananda Dash and Pradipta Pradhan have now alleged foul play by the 662 college staff association. They said that the association for its vested interest is putting pressure on the Government not to take any action in favour of those colleges which have won case in the court. “A nexus between the association leaders and the bureaucracy has delayed the process to extend GIA,” they charged.