Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU Aug 4: Jammu and Kashmir College Teachers Association (JKCTA) Jammu wing today raised their demands including restoration of incentives for higher qualifications of MPhil/PhD and threatened to go for pen down strike if their demands are not considered this time. Click here to watch video The demands were raised during a press conference organized today at Press Club Jammu by office bearers of the Association. Addressing the press conference Dr Rakesh Jasrotia (president JKCTA) said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) to promote/encourage research in the higher education incentives the higher qualifications of MPhil/PhD but the Finance Department in the UT withdrew the incentives through its SRO 243 in May 2018 after the UGC 7th Pay Review Committee recommendation for the same. He said now the Finance Department is reluctant to restore the same after the UGC Regutations-2018 published in the Gazette of India on 18th July 2018 unambiguously delineate for incentives for higher qualifications of MPhil and Phd. He said advisors of the Government from time to time directed the concerned department for the implementation of the same but their directions too were ignored consistently. Dr Jasrotia said in an unprecedented move even the placements of college teachers into next higher grade which are time bound and do not require the creation of any vacancy been made monetarily notional from the date of eligibility for the first time in the history of Higher Education Department (HED) in J&K and authenticated by the Finance Department for no fault of theirs. He further said that the file of new recruitment rules for college teachers is lying with Public Service Commission (PSC) for the reasons best known to the PSC. Prof Amit Kumar Sharma general secretary of the Association highlighted that study leave is being denied to college teachers contrary to the provisions of UGC. He said that all these issued have been already brought into the notice of the J&K administration including LG Manoj Sinha and if no concerte action is taken this time the college teachers will be compelled to go for pen down strike on August 19 and 20.

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