Meghalaya rolls out centralised PF for 30,000 teachers
Shillong (PTI): The Meghalaya government has rolled out a centralised provident fund scheme aimed at extending pension and social security benefits to more than 30,000 employees of non-government schools and colleges, officials said on Monday.
The "Meghalaya Non-Government School and College Employees Centralised Provident Fund Scheme, 2026" seeks to bring a wide range of employees, which includes deficit teachers and lecturers, adhoc teachers, SSA and RMSA teachers, Hindi and Science Grant teachers, pre-primary teachers, and non-teaching staff, all under a unified and professionally managed framework, they said.
"The scheme represents a significant and progressive reform as it extends structured provident fund and pension benefits to a wide spectrum of employees in the education sector," the Education department said in a press note.
"By bringing all such categories under a single framework, the scheme aims to promote equity, transparency and sustainability," it added.
Officials said a large number of employees have responded positively to the initiative, and the process of opening Permanent Retirement Account Numbers (PRANs) has already commenced in several parts of the state.
"It is encouraging to note that many employees have come forward to enrol under the scheme, and the PRAN generation process is underway in multiple districts," the statement said.
However, concerns have been raised by certain sections of employees, particularly from deficit institutions, over aspects of the scheme. The matter is currently sub judice before the High Court of Meghalaya, officials said.
"The government has already placed the notified scheme before the Hon'ble High Court and is awaiting its decision," the department said.
Reiterating its commitment to addressing concerns, the government said it has invited representatives of the concerned organisations for discussions.
"The Education Department has called a meeting with representatives of stakeholders on May 6 at 3 pm in the Main Conference Hall, Secretariat, to better understand their issues and explore possible resolutions," the statement said.
"The government remains committed to safeguarding the interests and welfare of all teachers and employees, and to ensuring that the implementation of the scheme is carried out in a fair, transparent and inclusive manner," it added.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
