Members of the Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, a state-level teachers’ association, have decided to contribute their one day’s salary towards supporting the families of their 1,621 colleagues who allegedly succumbed to coronavirus following the pull duty in recently held panchayat elections in the state.
“There are around three and a half lakh [350,000] staffers from the basic education department itself. We have estimated that we can collect Rs 80 crore [Rs 800 million] and provide Rs 4.5 lakh each [Rs 450,000] to the deceased’s family,” Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president of the association, told Gaon Connection.
On May 16, the teachers’ association had asserted that at least 1,621 teachers of the basic education department died of COVID19 following the poll duty for the panchayat elections. It communicated the same to the state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Meanwhile, the basic education department has said that only three teachers had died of COVID.
“We had earlier shared a list of 1,621 teachers deaths but we have got information of more deaths and are updating the list” said Sharma.
Also Read: ‘1,621 teachers died of COVID19 following UP panchayat elections’ poll duty’
In a press statement dated May 28, the association informed that teachers of the basic education department had donated Rs 76 crore [Rs 760 million] in the state’s COVID relief fund last year by donating a day’s salary.
“A similar procedure to collect money can be followed. The funds collected can be therefore given to those staffers who died between April 1 and May 31. We expect the amount would be over 80 crore this time as over 60,000 new teachers have freshly joined,” informed Sharma.
Anger is brewing in the association. “Despite contributing a huge sum for covid relief last year, no help has come to us; not even to buy masks for the staffer going on poll duty,” said Sharma, the association president.
Delay in compensation
Earlier on May 16, the association had demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore each [Rs 10 million] for the families of the deceased.
The association has alleged that the state government is delaying the compensation sum to be released for the families of the deceased. “The families of the deceased are going through a financial crunch as those who died were the earning members of the family. We cannot watch the pain of these families sitting silently,” reads the May 28 statement.
Meanwhile, on May 20, CM Adityanath had chaired a high level review meeting and given instructions to Chief Secretary and ACS Panchayati Raj to coordinate with the State Election Commission (SEC) and request the Commission to amend the guidelines, in a manner as deemed fit.
While addressing the issue, the CM said, “Currently, the guidelines of the Election Commission do not cover the impact caused by COVID-19 (being the unforeseeable future, retrospectively) within their ambit. Therefore, to address the current situation, the guidelines need to be amended keeping a sympathetic approach.”
The amendments proposed include effective rehabilitation (including employment opportunities) and adequate compensation being provided to the members of the family of the deceased (COVID-19 patient) within a specific time frame.
“The government is delaying the amendments proposed and compensation money to be provided. The head of their families have died. They are also in debt because many had to borrow money for the treatment,” rued Sharma, adding this is why we have decided to chip in a day’s payment from our department.
Meanwhile, the state government claims that it was forced to hold the panchayat elections in a raging second wave of COVID19. On April 25, in a press statement, the state government blamed the Allahabad High Court for forcing it to hold the panchayat elections: “Contrary to the misinformation campaign against the Yogi government, the decision to conduct the elections of the Gram Panchayats stemmed from the directions of the Allahabad High Court to the Government of the State of Uttar Pradesh.”
Govt’s response over alleged deaths
On May 18, the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department issued a press statement that only three teachers died during the panchayat elections’ poll duty. It dismissed allegations of 1,621 staffers deaths. A similar statement was issued by the minister of state for basic education, Satish Chandra Dwivedi.
Several opposition leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee; and Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party criticise the state government for not taking due note of the teachers deaths.
Meanwhile, after Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shikshak Sangh asserted 1,621 deaths of the basic education department, two more associations in the state had claimed 425 deaths of teachers/staffers from the secondary education department and at least 518 deaths of workers following the poll duty. This takes the total alleged death toll to 2,564. Gaon Connection was unable to independently verify the assertion by the associations.
