Bhubaneswar: Though the Orissa high court has held that employees, both teaching and non-teaching, in non-government aided educational institutions receiving aid from state government under Grant-In-Aid Orders from 2004 are eligible to get pension, teachers expressed doubt over the government’s intentions to implement it. Block grant teachers said earlier too the high court had ordered to give pension to teachers, but it has not been implemented.
“We have very little hope from the government. In 2020 the court had ordered the Odisha government to give pensions to retired block grant teachers, but it was in vain. This time also it is going to be repeated,” said Prasant Mohapatra, convenor of Block Grant Teachers Association.
Mohapatra, a petitioner in the high court, said: “The Supreme Court had told in an earlier order that discrimination in jobs is a crime. But we have been facing discrimination at all levels.”
After a prolonged agitation and protest by around 40,000 block grant teachers engaged in different schools and colleges across Odisha, state government decided to abolish block grant system and called it as ‘block grant @ grant-in-aid’. The teachers, however, alleged that the government did not fulfil any promise.
“We hope government should at least obey the high court orders. Every person who serves the government for years has the genuine right to get pension after retirement” said Golak Nayak, convenor of 622 Category of Colleges Association.
Sources in the education department said state government is likely to challenge the decision in the higher court as it not ready to bear the financial burden the decision will cause.
“We have very little hope from the government. In 2020 the court had ordered the Odisha government to give pensions to retired block grant teachers, but it was in vain. This time also it is going to be repeated,” said Prasant Mohapatra, convenor of Block Grant Teachers Association.
Mohapatra, a petitioner in the high court, said: “The Supreme Court had told in an earlier order that discrimination in jobs is a crime. But we have been facing discrimination at all levels.”
After a prolonged agitation and protest by around 40,000 block grant teachers engaged in different schools and colleges across Odisha, state government decided to abolish block grant system and called it as ‘block grant @ grant-in-aid’. The teachers, however, alleged that the government did not fulfil any promise.
“We hope government should at least obey the high court orders. Every person who serves the government for years has the genuine right to get pension after retirement” said Golak Nayak, convenor of 622 Category of Colleges Association.
Sources in the education department said state government is likely to challenge the decision in the higher court as it not ready to bear the financial burden the decision will cause.