No pay for 6 months, literacy worker dies by suicide in Kerala

A native of Kollam district, Bijumon’s death comes at a time when the preraks have been on an indefinite sit-in in front of the state secretariat for the last 82 days, demanding payment of their dues.

Apart from the government’s financial crisis, salary payment to literacy preraks has been in limbo due to the delay in redeploying the preraks with the local self-government department, sources in the state literacy mission said.

Earlier, the preraks were under the education department but last year, the government decided to bring the foot soldiers of the literacy mission under civic bodies. However, this process has not been completed, leaving the preraks in the lurch, sources added.

Vijayamma, mother of the deceased, told media: “After the death of his father, he was looking after me and my daughter. We were surviving on his meagre income. On many days in the last six months, we did not have money to even buy provisions.’’

Kerala State Literacy Prerak Association spokesperson C Sheeja said Bijumon had been with the state literacy mission for last 25 years. “Bijumon is a martyr of the government’s apathy towards the literacy workers. In the state budget (presented last week), we expected allotment for preraks. Bijumon was despondent after realising that nothing has been allotted for paying the arrears,” she said.

A block-level nodal officer with the literacy mission is entitled to get Rs 15,000 a month. But often this amount would vary depending upon the number of enrolments in various literacy programmes. Often, even a block-level officer would get only less than Rs 10,000, Sheeja pointed out.

M B Rajesh, minister for local self-government department, said a decision on the salary of preraks would be taken after discussions with the finance and education ministers.

BJP Kollam district president B B Gopakumar said: “These preraks had expected the government would set aside money for their salary in the budget. But the government’s inhumane approach has disappointed them.”