Guv meets JUTA team, discusses IoE tag, revised UGC pay scale

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday met a delegation of the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) and discussed a range of issues, including the 'Institution of Eminence' (IoE) tag and implementation of the revised UGC pay scale.

JUTA General Secretary Partha Pratim Roy told PTI that the governor, who is also the chancellor of the university, has sought documents from the varsity in connection with the granting of the IoE tag by the UGC.

Jadavpur University had failed to secure the IoE tag despite faring well in rankings of higher educational institutes in the country, he said.

"He has assured that he will raise this issue in the forthcoming Governors' Conference," Roy said.

Dhankhar also told the JUTA members that it was "totally unjustified" to implement the new pay scale from January 1, 2020 instead of the scheduled date of January 1, 2016, Roy claimed.

He said JUTA members presented a back-of-the-envelope calculation to the governor on the monetary loss of teachers in case the arrears from 2016 are not paid.

Dhankhar is also understood to have said that college and university teachers will lose out on a part of the "central government share" if the revised pay scale is not implemented from January 1, 2016.

"The governor has assured us that if the state government implemented the pay scale from 01.01.2016, he will try to secure that central share," Roy said.

Later, Dhankhar said in a tweet that he had a very meaningful and constructive deliberative session with the members of JUTA.

"All issues were discussed and a way forward approach had been chalked out," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Tuesday said the state government will implement the revised UGC pay scale in accordance with the 7th Central Pay Commission for teachers in institutes of higher learning from January 1.

It will be come into effect in government colleges, state-aided colleges and universities.

She had also made it clear that giving arrears for four years (2016-2020) was not feasible considering the fiscal situation in the state.