17 Rajasthan Medical College Teachers announce mass leave over pay disparities

Jaipur: Around 700 teachers of 17 government-run medical colleges in Rajasthan have announced to go on mass leave from July 22 to protest against the state government for not covering the teachers appointed before August 1, 2024, under the Rajasthan Service Rules. 

Teachers in government medical colleges are appointed by the Rajasthan Medical Education Society (RajMES), an autonomous body of the state government and the society’s service rules are applied to them.

The medical teachers have been advocating for the adoption of Rajasthan Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules by RajMES, citing discrepancies in the existing rules of the society.

But later the association came to know that it will be applicable on teachers appointed on or after 1 August 2024, Yadav said.

“It has come to our notice that the finance department has decided that the medical teachers appointed in RajMES before 1 August 2024 will be a ‘dying cadre’ and existing rules of the society will be applicable on them whereas the Rajasthan Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules-2017 will be applicable on teachers appointed on or after 1 August 2024. This will create a huge pay disparity among the medical teachers,” he said, adds news agency PTI.

As per a media report in the TOI, ''62 % of the doctor positions in the 17 new medical colleges were not covered by the Rajasthan Service Rules, making these positions unattractive to doctors. Now, the government has announced the implementation of these rules, but they will not apply to 800 to 900 doctors working in the new medical colleges, said Dr Shrawan Kumar Meena, president of the RajMES RMCTA Welfare Society.