Centre urged to release funds for SSA

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 4: The state government has urged the Centre to release funds for Sarba Shiksha Abhijan (SSA) on time so that the district authorities can spend funds properly allotted for various programmes of SSA, the Malda district project officer SSA said today. The state has already approached the Centre to release funds at the beginning of the financial year based on the budget placed, district administrative officials said. Having failed to spend funds allotted in various programmes of SSA due to this delay the districts authorities had approached the state government to release funds on time. In Malda the district administration had prepared budget of Rs. 72 crore for SSA in financial year 2007-08. After receiving 65 per cent share from the Centre for SSA the state had released funds partly in September, after six months. The state shares 35 per cent of the total budget for SSA. “Till date the district has received Rs. 51 crore from September. A few days ago the district has received Rs. 9 crore. It is expected that within seven days or by 31 March the rest nearly Rs.21 crore would be coming". “How could we manage to spend those funds properly?” asked the district project officer (DPO), SSA, Mr. Chinmay Sarkar.It may be noted that a few days ago the district officials including the district magistrate, sabhadhipati, district inspector of schools and other officials held a meeting to review the situation of the SSA programmes and situation of fund utilization received from the government to prepare the budget for the financial year 2008-09. The district authorities prepared budget for the SSA of Rs. 134 crore for the financial year 2008-09 and submitted it to the state on 29 February. At the review meeting it was found that nearly Rs. 10 crore allotted for SSA is still inconsumable due to technical reasons. According to the district inspector of school (secondary), Mr. Chinmay Sarkar, he is also DPO of SSA; the budget was prepared for the salary of 784 new teachers to be recruited in secondary schools through the school service commission (SSC). The salary fund for one financial year was calculated estimating average salary of Rs. 11,500 per month for each teacher. But the SSC has been able to start recommendation from few months back. “At present a total of 300 teachers, out of 784 ones have been recruited. “As a result the estimated fund is now inconsumable for this year. We will have to adjust the fund in next year”, said Mr. Chinmay Sarkar. Mr. Sarkar said the district authorities had faced difficulties to conduct training programme for teachers under SSA based on the module prepared by the board of secondary and primary education at the last moment.“Teachers were busy with school examination including test for madhyamik and higher secondary, he said. “We have asked the board to send module calendar for teachers’ training in April so that we can execute it on time utilizing the allotted fund of SSA through out the year”, the DPO said.