Puducherry Home and Education Minister A Namassivayam said on Wednesday that teachers working in government-aided schools in the Union Territory would be paid salaries as per the recommendation of the Central Seventh Pay commission.

He said in a release that the government had issued the necessary order effecting the disbursement of salaries as per the Seventh Pay commission’s report.

Puducherry, being a union territory, follows the pattern of salaries and allowances for employees in the territorial administration on par with the system prevailing in the Central sector. There has been a demand from teachers of aided schools here that they too be paid salaries as per the Central Pay commission recommendations.

A delegation of teachers of aided schools called on the Home Minister here and thanked him for the announcement that benefits them.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Rangasamy told reporters today that the government had instructed the police department to zero in on ’ganja’ peddlers in the Union Territory, and keep a close vigil on the alleged sale of ganja and other narcotics.

”We will also form a separate wing in the police department to handle the crime of ganja sales here,” he said.

Talking about the spread of influenza A virus (H3N2) in the Union Territory, Rangasamy said there was no need for panic. ”The government hospitals and primary health centres are operating separate booths to treat those turning up with complaints of influenza,” the Chief Minister said, adding that all hospitals were fully equipped to rise to any exigency.

”The Health department has reported that the number of cases will come down by this month end,” he added.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)