#FightForJustice: This 80-year-old award-winning-teacher's been fighting for 'reward' for six-decades
Ramavtar Sharma, a winner of National Award to Teachers, has been chasing officials for his extra increment reward for nearly six decades. That increment was supposed to be given to him for doubling the student strength at a government school in a Rajasthan village on his first posting as a teacher. Here's all about the 80-year-old retired teacher's fight for the honor he deserves.
Sharma has been fighting for increment since 1962
Sharma of Jhunjhunu's Chirawa town holds on to 170 entry passes to the Jaipur Secretariat as proof of his struggle with the bureaucracy that began around 1962. "I have spent lakhs of rupees and suffered a lot for the honor I deserve. The amount of the double increment may be meager...it is for honor and justice that I am fighting for," Sharma said.
Sharma was promised double increment in 1960 by Panchayat Samiti
Sharma joined as a government teacher at Padru village in Barmer district in 1958. He said two years later Rajasthan Panchayat Samiti announced the "double increment reward" for teachers responsible for doubling the student strength at their schools, ensuring no one dropped out for a year. There were only 38 students at his school then but the strength later increased to 138 during 1960-61.
Sharma's file moved from Barmer to Jaipur after 16 years
It took about 16 years for Sharma's file on double increment to move from Barmer to Panchayati Raj department in Jaipur, following the District Collector's report. The file, which landed there in 1977, however, was lost subsequently. "I was taken aback when I was told my file was missing from the records," he said. The file, apparently, was found later, the retired teacher added.
Sharma got "National Award" from President Narayanan in 1998
Sharma won several honors as a teacher over the years but the double increment, which he sees as recognition for his work, still eluded him. In 1989, then PM VP Singh awarded to him for community development. He got a state-level "Shikshak Samman" in 1997. Later in 1998, he received the "National Award to Teachers" from the then President KR Narayanan.
Retired teacher to appear before Rajasthan Cabinet sub-committee
Sharma has now been called before a Rajasthan Cabinet sub-committee, which is meeting in Jaipur tomorrow. He is hopeful that the panel will decide in his favor. Rajasthan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore, who is a member of the panel meeting tomorrow, said he has already recommended the case to the state's finance department, admitting the matter has been pending for too long.
