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408 staff of rural libraries await salaries

By SANJOY KR HAZARIKA

DERGAON, July 6 - Though it is difficult to believe that an employee of State government gets a salary of Rs 30 per day, it is possible in the Directorate of Library Services of the State. The librarian of a rural library gets a salary of Rs 900 per month, whereas a grade four employee gets only Rs 550 per month.

Moreover, as many as 408 employees of the rural libraries are even deprived of their regular salaries for the last 30 months due to the State Government�s indifferent attitude towards the matter. The 204 rural libraries were set up in the State by the then AGP Government in 1986-87 and a librarian and a grade four employee in each of the library were appointed for the betterment of public library services in the State. But after that no building grants was made and so the libraries were to be run in the buildings of the local club, cultural Sangha, Natya Sangha etc.

Due to the non-receipt of any grant, the librarians are in great difficulties in preserving as well as arranging the books, magazines etc., as no bookshelf and almirah are available in the libraries. There are thousands of valuable books lying in the libraries, but due to lack of proper management they are getting damaged.

�The government has showed an indifferent attitude towards the matter. We have not received our salaries since January, 2014,� said Ashok Kakati, the librarian of Nirmal Pustakalaya, Dergaon in Golaghat district. �Now we are pinning hope on the new government. The new Education Minister can develop the libraries as well as the services of these rural libraries,� he added.

It is worth mentioning that the services of these rural libraries were availed by the rural people and had a good impact on the society. �The Digital India Project should include these rural library services as this has a direct impact on the society,� said a senior citizen of the locality.

The All Assam Rural Library Employees� Association and Golaghat District Library Association have urged the State government to pay the salary and have demanded funds to maintain libraries.

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