lecturers and other staffs of various non-Government art and music colleges across the State called off their seven-day strike here on Friday after assurance by Culture Department Secretary Manoranjan Panigrahy to include all such colleges under the Government’s grant-in-aid scheme in the next Budget in March.
A delegation of the Odisha Kala Mahavidyalaya Adhyapaka O Karmachari Sangha (OKMAOKA) led by its advisor Sudarsan Das had met the Culture Secretary on Thursday and submitted a memorandum. Panigrahy discussed the matter with the concerned Minister and assured them to include their colleges under the GIA scheme in the next Budget, said OKMAOKA secretary Panchanan Samal at a Press meet here on Friday.
Notably, the colleges will be eligible to receive the UGC grants after their inclusion in the GIA scheme.
Earlier, the art and music teachers held a rally at the lower PMG here on December 8 and submitted a memorandum to Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra addressed to the Chief Minister.
The other demands included scholarship and other benefits to the students as that of the Government music and art colleges, financial aid to the institutions for promotion of art and music and provision of modern equipment to the students for better education.
Among others, noted litterateur and art critic Indubhusan Kar, advisor Das, executive president Kamalakant Biswal, vice-president Manoj Bhattacharya, Jayanta Nayak and Kalpitarani Sahu were present at the Press meet.