Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 19 2010:
Prerak/field workers who came to attend an interaction programme with the Director General of the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) have raised strong dissent over the manner the programme was organised.
Even as a large number of Prerak/field workers from, Chandel, Senapati and Tamenglong were invited to the interaction programme held Kangla Hall here today with the promise that there would be lunch as well as TA/DA, no TA/DA was paid.
Moreover, lunch arranged by the organisers also fell quite short.
The interaction programme was jointly organised by the National Literacy Mission Authority, Government of India and the State Literary Mission Authority.
The interaction programme christened 'Interactive Meeting With Stakeholders and Review of Saakshar Bharat Mission in Manipur', was attended by NLMA Director General and Union Joint Secretary (Adult Education) Jagmohan Singh Raju, Education Minister L Jayantakumar and Adult Education Commissioner BB Sharma.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Prerak Lamneikim Kipgen from Mokotphai (Senapati district) said that they came to the meeting by hiring a bus at Rs 8000 .
Even as the organisers promised both TA/DA and lunch, no TA/DA has been given.
"We were also told to go for lunch at our own expense", Lamneikim decried.
Gou Vaiphei, a village level Samiti member from Senapati district said that they were asked to go field survey without any TA in addition to not paying honorarium for a long time.
"Whereas we are working at the grassroots level, those occupying top positions in the department have been concentrating on fraudulent activities, Vaiphei observed.
Field worker R Laljan Aimol from Chandel remarked that the project is very noble in its purpose and content, and we are working with enthusiasm but the whole project seemed to have been executed on table.
As most of the adults are busy in their daily works during day time, teaching adults in hill areas is done at night.
For this, field workers have been buying candles from their own money.
Even chalks and black-boards have not been provided, said Damenti, another field worker from Tengnoupal Block.
On the other hand, after the meeting at Kangla, DG Jagmohan went to Thoubal and interacted with field workers and officials of the district.
The DG also flagged off a 'literacy march'.
Later in the evening, he held a review meeting on Saakshar Bharat Misson in Manipur at Hotel Imphal.