The teachers of universities and colleges in Kerala have been denied the University Grants Commission (UGC) salary arrears. This happened due to the alleged indifference on the part of the state government in fulfilling its obligations regarding the UGC salary arrears for university and college teachers, as part of the implementation of the Seventh Pay Revision.
According to Mathrubhumi, the Central government clarified that the arrears could not be paid because the state did not follow the reimbursement condition, which requires the submission of reports and proposals after the expenditure. As a result, the Rs 1,500 crores to be paid to the teachers will not be paid.
The deadline to submit the reports and proposals for the expenditure was March 31, 2022. However, the state did not comply, and the reimbursement scheme has been invalid since April 1, 2022. Therefore, the Central government has confirmed that the arrears cannot be paid now.
Opposition voices
This issue has been repeatedly raised by opposition parties and college teachers' unions for a long time. It was also raised in the Lok Sabha by Dean Kuriakose from Kerala.
Responding to this, Union Minister of State for Education Dr Sukanta Majumdar provided a detailed clarification regarding the central government's stance.
The state argues that the delay in paying the arrears was due to the slackness on the part of the Central government in providing their share of Rs 750 crores for the UGC salary revision.
The decision was made that the Rs 1,500 crore salary arrears for the period from January 2016 to March 2019 would be shared between the Central and state governments. However, the state government has not spent its share of the salary arrears, citing the reason that the Central government did not provide the funds.
Instead of fulfilling its part, the state government kept sending letters demanding funds from the Central government, Mathrubhumi reported.
