AGARTALA, Aug 7 (TIWN): With SSA teachers' hunger strike passed 6th day CPI-M govt is now under tremendous pressure as it is now exposed that Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty deliberately lied with the people of the state regarding the regularization of the employeesrecruited under SSA . It is now clear like day light that CM Manik and his govt's negative policy is the only hindrance to the entire matter of regularization of employees .

The state govt and Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty had taken refuge in lies in this sensitive issue putting the blame on the Centre . Shamelessly Tapan Chakrbortymade a political statement from his official chair stating that the SSA employees are politically motivated . Again , Tapan Chakraborty also said ,"Now BJP is in Centre , tell BJP leaders to request the Centre to regularize the SSA employees in Tripura ." 

But facts clearly bear the proof that regularization of SSA employees simply comes under the purview of the state govt . 

In the Right to Education it is clearly stated that, “The State Government or the local authority may/shall notify terms and conditions of service and salary and allowances of teachers in order to create a professional and permanent cadre of teachers. “

Earlier, The Ministry of Human Resource and Development sent a letter to the State Government quoting , “The state should maintain unified teachers cadres and separate SSA Cadres should be avoided since the teachers are part of the teaching cadres of the state/UTs. "

Meanwhile in the year 2013 in reply to a Right to Information (RTI ) application filed by an SSA teacher namely Arvind Rana, who is also the president of SarvaShikshaAbhiyan Teachers Welfare Association (SSATWA), UT, it has come to notice that the teachers working under the SSA scheme are entitled to the same benefits as regular teachers.

Rana had filed the application to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) relating to sanction junior basic teachers (JBT primary), trained graduate teachers (TGT, upper primary), and their appointment procedures and duties.

In its reply to Rana, the ministry stated that SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA) is only a programme providing additional funding to the state/UT for elementary education development and reform and there are no separate SSA scales or norms for teacher recruitment.

All appointment procedures and duties are governed by the state government/Union Territories. Furthermore, "all teachers are appointed under their respective education departments, not under SSA,"  said the reply.

That the state govt has lied with the people of the state and SSA employees becomes absolutely true from the following factual evidences –

1)     Replying to RTI application of Sajal Deb of Laxminaraynpur, GourangaTilla, KhowaiUnder Secretary of Ministry of Human Resource Department , Department of School Education & Literacy (EE-3 Section ) Manjeet Kumar vide his letter No.F.8-1/2017-EE3 dated 3rd April 2017 categorically stated ," Teachers will be recruited as per terms and conditions of the respective States/UTs "

        Therefore , it is to inform that the service conditions , mode of recruitment rules and regulations relating to engagement , cadres of teachers , remuneration and other benefits of SSA teachers/employees either contractual or regular basis come in the domain of concerned state Government and which may vary from state to state .

        1.On 3/1/17 vide No -24/1/1-2/07-DE(S)Vol-II(1)3 24 SSA teachers have been regularized in Manipur

         2. Even the Govt of Sikkim vide its MEMO No .302/Est-I/HRDD dated 23/02/2014 regularized all SSA employees in its state .

To make the matter worse State BJP President Biplab Deb categorically promised from the stage of SSA employees' hunger strike ,"If BJP comes in power in 2018 all the SSA employees will be regularized . If Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland can why not in Tripura ? Actually Manik Sarkar and CPI-M govtdont want to regularize these employees and as such they are giving false blame to BJP and the Centre . "

It is true that the CPI-M party and the state govt are in tremendous pressure . A highly placed source in the state Secretariat informed TIWN on Sunday night that Tapan Chakraborty and high officials of Education Department have been holding meeting after meeting regarding SSA employees hunger strike as the state govt is now worried about its consequences just ahead of Assembly Poll 2018 .