Nagpur, India: Thousands of primary school teachers across Maharashtra are facing financial difficulties as their March salaries remain unpaid, nearly a month past the usual disbursement date. The delay follows a major scam involving fraudulent recruitment and misuse of the government’s teacher identification system, Shalarth.

The scam came to light after Ulhas Narad, Deputy Director of Education (Nagpur Division), was arrested for approving fake Shalarth IDs that allowed ineligible individuals to draw government salaries, arrears, and even gain promotions. The fallout has resulted in the suspension of salary processing for verified staff, affecting between 3,800 and 4,000 teachers from approximately 397 schools.

With no authorised officer to sign salary slips after Narad’s arrest, the process was stalled until Monday, when Gautam Gedam, Superintendent of the Rural Salary Team, was assigned additional charge. Officials now claim that pending payments for both March and April will be released soon, with efforts underway to complete verification within a week.

Teachers, many of whom earn between ₹45,000 to ₹50,000 monthly, have expressed distress over the delay, citing difficulties in meeting EMI payments, household expenses, and essential commitments. The department continues its investigation into the misuse of Shalarth IDs, with cybercrime units and Pune division officials also involved.

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