Illam Thedi Kalvi volunteers not paid for months

CHENNAI: Several volunteers of the Illam Thedi Kalvi (Education at Doorstep) project have not received their monthly incentive of Rs 1,000 across Tamil Nadu. Nearly 1.81 lakh volunteers are currently working in the project since its implementation in October 2021.

Speaking to DT Next, a volunteer from one of the northern districts who teaches students from Classes 1 to 5 said, “I have been working on the project since February and I have not received my payments since then. I have made a complaint about it to senior staff.”

“The bank account was opened in February after I completed my training. Hence there can be no issues such as KYC among others,” added the volunteer.

Likewise, the volunteer in the Chengalpattu district also said he has not received the payment. “When I enquired about the delay in payment, I was told that it will be done within a week,” he added.

Commenting on this, an official with Illam Thedi Kalvi said, “Through the information analysed so far, we do not have account information of about 2,000 volunteers. The incentive will be released for those who worked for 20 days in a month and this is being done in a phased manner across the State.”

The official confirmed that so far, the incentive has been paid to 1.70 lakh volunteers who have completed 20 working days.

“Also, several volunteers did not receive the payment due to concerns with their respective bank accounts. Hence, in such cases, the volunteers must rectify the issue with their bank. They will be paid anyhow,” added the official.

When asked if the teacher coordinator will be given an allowance for working in Illam Thedi Kalvi, the official stated it is a policy issue, which cannot be commented upon.

Are you in Chennai? Then click here to get our newspaper at your doorstep!