Delhi Cabinet approves pay hike for guest teachers, CCTVs in govt schools

Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 18

Ahead of the forthcoming general elections, the Aam Aadmi Party government has announced a slew of decisions, including hike in pay of guest teachers, sanctioning funds for CCTV cameras in its schools, commissioning a fresh survey to identify dark spots in the national capital and enhancing financial assistance to be provided to leprosy-affected persons, taken by the Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday.

The Delhi Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also approved a proposal of the environment department to double the financial support from Rs one lakh to two lakh to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and NGOs for development of parks and gardens registered with the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society.

They will also be supported for installation of sewage treatment plants.

Another major development from the Cabinet was the changing the criterion for providing funds to school management committees (SMCs) which have now been renamed as Vidyalaya Kalyan Samitis.

School building’s size will no longer be a basis on which the funds will be allocated from the SMC Fund but enrolment of students.

The Cabinet also approved Rs 56 crore for the SMC Fund for the current financial year.

The Delhi Government will undertake a new survey on infrastructural lacunae in Delhi-NCR to assess, especially women safety in public spaces.

A proposal of the Department of Women and Child Development for mapping Delhi in this regard was approved by the Cabinet with the job assigned to NGO ‘Safetipin’ which has in 2015 carried out a similar mapping of the city’s dark lanes and shared its findings with the Delhi Government.

The Cabinet has sought a detailed report of the previous survey, including the list of black spots and how many lights were installed following the survey.

The fresh survey will have participation from various stakeholders, including the civic, land owning and road agencies of the national capital.

The Delhi Cabinet approved the installation of CCTV cameras in government schools in the city to ensure safety of students.

The proposal for expenditure was sanctioned for supply, installation, testing, commissioning and comprehensive annual maintenance contract of CCTV cameras in government-run schools.

In the wake of child abuse in schools, the government in September mandated installation of CCTV cameras in all schools covering classrooms, labs, corridors, parking, library, vacant rooms, the areas outside washrooms, corners and other inaccessible areas.

It was also decided that an online access to parents be provided to be able to see their children’s classrooms.

Later in December, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed to form a core committee that was tasked to prepare a roadmap, time-bound plan and oversee the function of installation of CCTV cameras in government schools and also decide a tentative timeline for completion of the project.

The Cabinet approved another proposal of the Education Department for revising the pay under miscellaneous category of guest teachers to be applicable prospectively.

The daily remuneration for miscellaneous category guest teachers may be brought at par with trained graduate teachers with Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) qualification and enhanced from Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,403 per day. The proposed revision would be submitted for approval of Lt Governor or administrator, the competent authority in this regard.

Giving cheer to the leprosy-affected people in the city, the Delhi Cabinet sanctioned an increased amount of financial support raising it from previous Rs 1,800 to Rs 3,000 per month.

The hike in maintenance, proposed by the Department of Social Welfare, can be availed by the existing 562 beneficiaries residing in rehabilitation Complex at Tahirpur under the rehabilitation scheme with effect from September this year.