JOIN USAround 17,000 university and college teachers will have to wait it out for some more time to receive arrears due to them under the Sixth Pay Commission, as the state government is awaiting a one-time package of Rs 763 crore from the Union government to clear the dues.
The arrears amount to Rs 964 crore for the period between January 1, 2006, and March 31, 2010.
Higher Education Minister V S Acharya has written to Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, seeking the release of the Central share of the dues as soon as possible to pay out the arrears.
20 per cent expenditure
In his letter, Acharya wrote: “...Rs 763 crore, being 80 per cent share of the Government of India, has to be released to the State Government, which will be available for payment of arrears to teachers from 1.1.2006 to 31.3.2010. The State Government will bear 20 per cent of the expenditure. The teaching community is eagerly waiting for payment of arrears and I hope you would release the same at the earliest.”
The State Government has already implemented the other recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission such as change of designations to assistant professor, associate professor, and professor.
The recommendations on educational qualification and raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 have also been adopted. Since the implementation of the UGC pay scale, the gross salary of an associate professor is around Rs 31,000, while that of a professor is around Rs 65,000 a month.
From April 1, 2010, the pay burden will have to be borne entirely by the State Government.
Another concern raised at the vice-chancellors’ meeting chaired by Acharya last month was that universities were running out of funds to implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.
Acharya asked the Karnataka Knowledge Commission to conduct a study on the financial health of universities.