7th Pay Commission: Narendra Modi Cabinet approves salary hike for over 7.5 lakh teachers in universities, colleges

Pravash Javadekar stressed that efforts should be made to attract talent into academics.

New Delhi:  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the revision of pay scales for about eight lakh teachers and academic staff of higher educational institutions under the purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and in Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, following implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission. 

Union Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that over 7.50 lakh teachers in universities will receive benefits of Seventh Pay Commission.

Motivating people to make career in academics, the Education Minister said that assistant and associate professors of 329 state universities and 12912 colleges will get salary hike in line with 7th Pay Commission from January 01 of 2016.

In addition, the revised pay package will cover teachers of 119 Centrally Funded Technical Institutions viz. IITs, IISc, IIMs, IISERs, IIITs, NITIE. etc.

The annual Central financial liability on account of this measure would be about Rs 9,800 crore.

The implementation of this pay revision will enhance the teachers' pay in the range of Rs 10,400 and Rs 49,800 as against the extant entry pay due to the implementation of the 6th Central Pay Commission for the pay of teachers. This revision would register an entry pay growth in the range of 22 percent to 28 percent. 

For the state government funded institutions, the revised pay scales will require adoption by the respective state governments. The central government will bear the additional burden of the states on account of revision of pay scales. The measures proposed in the revised pay structure are expected to improve quality of higher education and also attract and retain talent.

Javadekar stressed that efforts should be made to attract talent into academics.

The 5-member University Grants Commission (UGC) pay review committee, headed by it member VS Chauhan, which was formed in 2016, had in February recommended a 20 percent pay hike for university and college teachers.

Earlier, the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Association (AIFUCTO), an umbrella body of teachers’ associations of various universities, had written to the HRD Ministry, threatening a nationwide agitation if their demands were not met.