Odisha Govt Intervenes As Schoolteacher Works In Farm After Salary Delay

Bhubaneswar: District education authorities has released a month’s salary of 72 ex-cadre teachers of Puintala block in Odisha’s Balangir district.

This came a day after Prabhudatta Sahoo, an assistant teacher in Government Primary School at Bandhanbahal village in Puintala block, applied for a one-day leave to work as a labourer to protest over non-payment of salary.

The teacher, who receives around Rs 45,000 monthly, earned Rs 300 for a day’s farm work on Thursday, having to struggle to manage household expenses and EMI payments due to the delayed salaries.

Also Read: Govt Schoolteacher In Odisha Takes One-Day Leave To Work As Labourer; Know Why

These teachers were appointed under the Education Guarantee Scheme in 2001 and were later classified as ex-cadre in 2017. The district has 809 such ex-cadre teachers.

The delay was earlier attributed to technical snags in digiGOV website and a strike by accounts staff.

Sources further stated that IAS officer Ananya Das, State Project Director, has written to CANARA Bank, Bapujee Nagar branch, Bhubaneswar, for immediate release of Rs 398.32 crore towards teachers’ salaries for FY 2024-25.

“In inviting a reference to the subject cited above I am to enclose herewith a statement containing the details of fund release amounting to Rs 398,32,82,003, to 30nos of DEO-CUM-DPC Accounts towards the disbursement of Teachers Salary for the FY 2024-25,” the letter from the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) read.

“The amount may be debited from our SB Account and corresponding credit be given to the bank account nos of 30nos of DEO-cum-DPCs today positively as per the statement attached,” it added.