Why are Hindi teachers victimized when their salary funding pattern is 100% CSS, ACAUT questions FC
DIMAPUR, MARCH 2 (MExN): The Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland has termed the clarification made by the Finance Commission over the utilization of the 14th Finance Commission released money as per the state budget as a side- issue and clearly an act of double standard.
Bringing to case in point the release of Rs1,353.52 crore for 142 CSS/projects during the financial year 2015-16, Media Cell, ACAUT said the State Government had no problem releasing 10 % of the state’s share for these schemes and project and gets the amount released “since it did not require funds directly to the grass root or beneficiaries.”
Pointing out that the CSS & projects have not benefitted the grassroots except the elites, it alleged, “Evidently, most of these released CSS funds are meant for the pockets of the politicians and bureaucrats.”
On the other hand, the ACAUT termed as “sickening” that when teachers under SSA, RMSA and the Hindi teachers are not paid for 9 months at stretches the number one excuse given by the departments is that the state do not have enough funds to give the 10 % share.
Calling this as double standard, the ACAUT has dared the Finance Commissioner to answer as to why Hindi teachers are being victimized for 9 months when their salary funding pattern is 100% CSS.
It also sought explanation why the year 2015-16 witnessed maximum teacher’s agitation despite the fact that the Human Resource Development (HRD) had released Rs. 140.65 crore for the SSA and RMSA programmes during 2015-16.
ACAUT also asked the Finance Commissioner to clarify on the allegation that the Finance Department deducts an illegal 10% commission on every developmental fund released to the various departments taking advantage of the fact that all CSS amount is parked with the department.
Against this context, ACAUT claimed that what it meant in its previous press statement was the fact that the state had enough money to deposit 10% state share for the salary components; after all, the 14th FC had also released Rs. 5229.56 crores to the Finance Department.
It pointed out that this was “more than enough to pay the combined salaries of SSA, RMSA, and Hindi teachers 100 times over.” At the most the 10% state share for SSA and RMSA programme cannot be more than 20-30 Crores per financial year, it added.
Therefore, ACAUT maintained that the “Finance Commissioner taking pains to explain that the 14th FC released money has been utilized as per the state budget was only a side- issue.”
