Bhubaneswar: Principals of non-govt aided colleges posted in remote areas will get a monthly incentive between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 depending on the remoteness of their posting. The move will benefit in-charge principals of 641 colleges and cost the exchequer around Rs 6 crore annually.Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved the proposal, a CMO statement said on Wednesday.Govt hopes the incentive will encourage teachers to take up the responsibility of principal at colleges in far-flung areas and help ensure smooth functioning of higher education institutions.Under the scheme, in-charge principals posted within their home district or in urban areas will get Rs 5,000 a month. Those posted outside their home district will receive Rs 7,000, while those posted 300km or more away from their home district or residence will get Rs 9,000.Principals posted in geographically remote and inaccessible areas will receive the highest incentive of Rs 10,000 a month. A committee will determine the category applicable to each posting.Of the aided colleges, which get grants-in-aid from govt, covered under the broader categories mentioned by govt, 488 fall under one category and 662 under another. However, the incentive will benefit in-charge principals of 641 colleges. The scheme will come into effect from the date of publication of the notification.Prashant Kumar Pradhan, president of the All Odisha Aided College (488 Category) Teachers’ and Employees’ Association (AOACTEA), said the move would benefit only principals while the govt continued to ignore the concerns of teachers retiring from aided colleges. “We have been demanding pension for retired teachers, which the govt should provide. Moreover, in 662-category colleges, principals generally serve in the colleges where they were originally appointed until retirement, as there is no provision for transfer. So, the question of remoteness does not really arise in their case,” Pradhan said.