Patna: The Bihar’s education department has mulled an ambitious plan to provide residential accommodation to all 4.50 lakh school teachers near their place of posting. An announcement for this could be announced soon.
Although the officials of the state education department are not very much forthcoming about the government’s plan, an advertisement posted on the department’s website, calling for application from the landlords willing to offer their houses on lease or rent, lays credence to the talks about providing official residence to the teachers.
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Officials said that the state government might consider building houses for the teachers in the school premises or on any government land near the schools as part of the long-term strategy to bring about qualitative change in the education sector. “However, taking houses on lease or rent could be short-term plan to arrange accommodation to all teachers, who are set to get the state employees’ status next month,” said a senior officer.
The department has organised a mega event at the Gandhi Maidan on November 2 to distribute appointment letters to around 1.25 lakh newly recruited teachers. While chief minister Nitish Kumar will offer job letters to around 25,000 teachers at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan, appointment letters to the rest 1 lakh teachers would be handed over at various districts by the district magistrates (DMs).
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Political analysts said that providing government accommodation to the teachers could be a strategy of the ruling dispensation to woo the politically influential segment of the society. “Bihar government has decided to provide government accommodation to newly appointed teachers. It is being said that Bihar will be the first state in the country where teachers will get the facility of government accommodation,” said an expert.
Teachers’ house rent allowances to be paid to landlords’ account
Officials said that the education department was working on the modality to pay teachers’ house rent directly to the landlord’s account. For this, the government will take houses on lease from block to panchayat and district level. After taking them on lease, they will be allotted to the teachers and the teachers will live there and contribute to the nearby school.
Advertisement for teachers’ residence out on department’s website
Housing facility for teachers will be provided adjacent to the school. Bihar government has also released an advertisement regarding this. To view this advertisement posted on the website of the Education Department, you can click on the link given below. The government has sought applications for this from private property and any firm.
Noted construction firms may be engaged to build houses
Officials said that the department was also considering the plan to engage reputed construction firms to construct houses for teachers. It has been said that applications should be submitted by 4th November. After receiving the application, a meeting will be held on November 8. After that financial proposals will be invited.
To begin with, the education department has proposed to take around 1 lakh houses on lease or rent to provide accommodation to the newly recruited teachers. Already working teachers will also benefit from this.
Government incurs annual expenditure of ₹33,000 crore on teachers’ salary
The Bihar government spends ₹33,000 crore every year on teachers’ salaries. Out of this entire expenditure, 8% is spent on house rent allowance (HRA) of teachers. Overall ₹2,500 crore amount goes on HRA. Now the government will directly transfer the amount into the accounts of landlords and land providing firms.
