Jharkhand

• 11 Jun 2022

Jharkhand's Minority School Employees to get Benefit of Contributory Pension Scheme

Why in News?

• Recently, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Jharkhand has announced the benefit of contributory pension scheme to the employees of minority schools.

Key Points

• Employees of 836 elementary aided (including minorities) and 134 secondary minority schools in Jharkhand will get the benefit of contributory pension scheme.
• Under this, those employees of these schools who are employed on or after December 1, 2004 will get the benefit of contributory pension scheme.
• It is worth mentioning that the Department of School Education and Literacy has taken this decision in the light of the order passed by the Jharkhand High Court in the case of Jharkhand State Secondary Teachers Association vs State Government. In this, the High Court had ordered the state government to take necessary decisions on the presentation of the petitioner.
• The announcement issued by the department regarding the benefit of contributory pension scheme to these schools has said that since they have been appointed through the School Management Committee, the committee will have to be registered with the Central Record Keeping Agency 'National Security Depository Limited'. At the same time, each personnel will have to take permanent retirement account number along with the contribution.
• Ten percent of the basic salary and admissible living allowance of the employees will be deducted from the amount, which will be deposited in the NPS account as employer contribution.

Guru Sushant Mohapatra honoured with 'Guru Brahma Award'

Why in News?

• On June 10, 2022, in a program organized in Jagannathpuri, Odisha, Guru Sushant Mohapatra, the leading artist who prepared the mask of Seraikela Chhau dance form of Jharkhand state, was given 'Guru Brahma Award'.

Key Points

• In the International Mega Dance Festival 'Apsara-2022' organized by the Cultural Development Foundation of Odisha, Dr. Tirupati Panigrahi, Chairman, Hitech Group, honored Mohapatra by giving him an angavastra and a citation.
• The exhibition of Chhau Masks created by Guru Sushant Mohapatra has been held in the country and abroad, the Saraikela style Chhau mask prepared by him has been exhibited not only in the country, but also in New York, Berlin, Vienna in the US, as well as in mumbai, kolkata and other big cities including the capital of the country Delhi.
• The mask, produced by Guru Sushant Mohapatra, has also been presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• It is known that in the year 1925 , his elder father, Prashna Kumar Mohapatra, had prepared the first modern mask for the Saraikela Style Chhau.
• Sushant Mohapatra started manufacturing the mask at the age of 8 with the inspiration of his elder father (Guru Prasanna Mohapatra). After this the practice of this mask started increasing and now this Seraikela style of mask has become the hallmark of Chhau dance.