Shillong, May 8: Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Preston Tynsong has defended the state government’s decision to engage teachers in census-related enumeration work, stating that the assignment would not overburden them and can be carried out after school hours.
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| Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Preston Tynsong. (File Photo) |
Addressing concerns over the deployment of teachers for the exercise,
Tynsong said the first phase of the work would last only 30 days and involve
limited field visits. According to him, teachers assigned to designated
villages can spend two to three hours daily after school to complete the
enumeration process.
He explained that the work mainly involves visiting four to five households
a day, filling up prescribed forms, and explaining the process to citizens. “It
is about enumeration. The form is already there. It is very simple,” he said.
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The Deputy Chief Minister further stated that teachers engaged in the
exercise would receive additional monetary benefits. He said the government
plans to provide a lump sum bonus ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 for
the one-month assignment.
Tynsong also clarified that the engagement of teachers would not be done
arbitrarily. He said the Block Development Officers (BDOs), acting as charge
officers, would consult traditional heads, managing committees, and concerned
sector panchayats before issuing any deployment orders.
He maintained that the government does not foresee any major problem with the arrangement, as consultations with local stakeholders would be carried out before implementation.
