Amaravati, Feb 23 (TNT): The Andhra Pradesh government is in consultation with the Centre over a proposed salary hike for employees working in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), State Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
Replying to a question raised by MLA Koona Ravi Kumar, Lokesh said admissions in KGBVs in Andhra Pradesh are among the highest in the country and that academic performance has improved significantly over the past two years.
He stated that girl students are actively competing for admission into KGBVs in the State.
The Minister pointed out that the KGBV programme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with the Union Government contributing 60 per cent of the funds and the State government 40 per cent.
Any decision on salary enhancement or policy changes must therefore be taken jointly by both governments, he said.
Lokesh said the issue has been taken up with the Centre and that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has responded. Nearly 11,000 personnel are working under the KGBV system in Andhra Pradesh, he added, stressing that the Centre’s approval and enhanced budgetary allocation are essential before implementing any pay revision.
He also informed the House that a petition related to the matter is pending before the High Court and is under review.
The State government will take a decision on salary enhancement once the Project Approval Board (PAB) of the Centre grants approval, he said, adding that Andhra Pradesh is already paying comparatively higher salaries than several other States.
On teacher recruitment, Lokesh said the government had appointed 16,000 teachers last year and is now working towards releasing a mega Job Calendar by Ugadi this year, which will include teacher posts.
The Minister said issues relating to vertical and horizontal reservations need to be addressed and that a fresh zonal re-notification has been issued under the Presidential Order, necessitating re-unification.
All departments are coordinating to finalise the process, he added.
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