| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Jul 6: The Arunachal Pradesh Teacher Educators' Association (APTEA) has announced the third phase of its democratic agitation in the form of an indefinite pen-down strike from July 9 across all District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), reiterating its demand for regular salary disbursement through the state exchequer.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, APTEA president Tayon Dai said the association had rejected the official minutes of its June 23 meeting with Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona, alleging that the document did not accurately reflect the discussions and assurances made during the meeting.
Dai said the association's general body meeting, held on June 26 had sought a written assurance from the government by July 8, along with a concrete mechanism to ensure regular and uninterrupted salary disbursement through the state exchequer.
He said members would continue attending their respective institutions but would refrain from routine official duties in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the association.
"The protest will remain peaceful and democratic," Dai assured.
As part of the agitation, APTEA has also announced an "Itanagar Chalo Andolan" on the 11th day of the pen-down strike, during which members from all 11 DIETs will stage a peaceful dharna outside the Chief Minister's Office. Dai warned that the association would resort to an indefinite hunger strike if the issue remains unresolved.
Claiming that employees of DIETs have faced irregular salary disbursement since 2019 following the shift to the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), Dai questioned whether staff recruited through the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission were being treated as state or central government employees.
Describing the salary delays as a violation of employees' constitutional rights, he said the association has been submitting representations to the government since 2021 but the issue remains unresolved despite repeated assurances.
Under its "No Pay, No Work" campaign, APTEA had earlier observed a one-day pen-down strike on May 29, followed by a two-day strike on June 4 and 5 after its demands were not addressed.