Aizawl, Apr 9 (IANS): Despite a series of agitations, over 4,835 teachers of 541 government schools in Mizoram have not been paid their salaries since January due to a lack of funds, officials said here Monday.

A senior Mizoram school department official told reporters: "At least Rs.173.58 crore was required for the payment of salaries to the teachers during the just concluded financial year (2011-12). The state finance department had allocated only Rs.113.20 crore for the purpose in the last fiscal."

The agitating Mizoram government teachers, who occasionally organised various types of protests, last week took out a protest rally here demanding that their salaries be paid on time.

However, state Education Minister Lalsawta told the teachers that their outstanding salaries would be paid "soon."

"Lalsawta told the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) legislators and the agitating teachers that the state finance and planning departments were making all-out efforts to ensure that the teachers and other government employees, who have not received salaries, get paid at the earliest," the official said.

Teaching in the 541 government schools is also being affected since the past few months due to the occasional agitations of the teachers.