Punjab Congress on Friday accused the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for “misleading” the people on the issue of fixation of salaries of volunteers recruited under the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and other Centrally-sponsored schemes. “Fixing salaries of education volunteers is the responsibility of State Governments and not of the Central Government whereas Badal is trying to give an impression that Centre is responsible for not enhancing honorarium being paid to EGS and ETT teachers,” claimed the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa. He said that Centre had duly informed the Punjab Government its policy on fixing salaries of contract teachers under SSA and RMS. “The then Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal, in response to Badal’s letter on November 8, 2011, had replied that in case, State Government wishes to enhance remuneration of contract teachers, appropriate decisions need to be taken in respect of all contract teachers working with the State Government and not just for those contract teachers who are provided remuneration support from centrally-sponsored schemes,” pointed Bajwa.
He added that Sibal had clearly stated that if the State Government wishes to enhance remuneration for contact teachers or regularise their services,” relevant orders of the State Government may be issued”.”The school education department of the State may also please be advised to place those orders before the Project Approval Board for SSA and RMSA for consideration….It was duty of State Government to make the proposal part of Annual Work Plan and annual budget,” stated Bajwa.