Bhubaneswar, Feb. 12: Teaching and non-teaching staff members of the state’s block grant colleges appealed to the government for the release of grant-in-aid (GIA) to the junior and degree institution.

They, who assembled at a conference here today, said the Orissa Education Act, 1969, directed the state government to frame rules for provision of the GIA to non-government institutions, and accordingly, it was notified in 1994.

According to the GIA order, all non-government colleges of the state were classified under three categories — those receiving the GIA before the order came in 1994, those considered eligible for the aid till 1994, and those eligible after the 1994 Act. The third category included first and second junior colleges in the block, the first degree college in the block and the first women’s college in the revenue sub-division.

General secretary of the Block Criteria College Lecturers and Employees’ Association Chandradwaj Nanda said 391 junior and degree colleges under the third category have fulfilled their norms and conditions under the GIA order to cover their qualifying period of 10 years and are now eligible for it.

“However, the state government in 2008 implemented a block grant order in which employees of the 391 colleges — who were entitled to receive the full GIA — were compelled to receive only 40 per cent block grant. This catapulted us to an uncertain future,” said Srikant Samant, working president of the association, demanding release of the GIA to all junior and degree colleges.

In another development, the All Odisha 662-category Lecturers and Employees’ Association today staged roadblocks in 14 districts to demand pay parity and full grant.