Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 27: Hundreds of trainers (preraks) employed under Sakshar Bharat Mission, a Centrally-sponsored scheme, are up in arms against the Government for not paying their honorarium, due for last two years.
After having approached all Government quarters for help, they held a demonstration at the Press Enclave here today afternoon.
Mukhtar Ahmad, a prerak in Budgam, said: “We are in dire financial crisis as we have no other breadwinner, and in the absence of the honorarium.”
Ahmad said that they are working in the Education Department from 2006 when they were appointed under Total Literacy Campaign upto 2010. The campaign was renamed as Sakshar Bharat Mission after 2010 by the Centre and we were paid a monthly honorarium of Rs 2000.
“We are delivering our services at different schools across the State, but the Government is not paying us our dues from the last two years though the Centre Government has released funds for us,” he said.
The agitating trainers were also demanding that the Government should provide them job security as they are working as trainers for the last nine years.
“The Government is pushing our future towards darkness as they don’t frame any policy for our job security and are ignoring the guidelines of the scheme,” said Khurheed Bhat, another agitating trainer.
Bhat said that the Centre in this years Budget session had increased their monthly dues to Rs 5200, but the State Government did not take any decision regarding hike of the honourarium as yet.
“The Centre Government also extended the scheme till 2017, however, our Government is yet to take any decision in this regard,” he said.
They threatened of Secretariat gherao next month if their demands are not met within 15 days.
Director School Education Mir Tariq Ali said that he has no knowledge about the issue of dues of trainers.
“It (payment of honorarium) is not in my knowledge. The trainers should have approached my office instead of going for protests,” he said.
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