Even as the strike by Block Grant (BG) teachers here reached the fifth day on Sunday, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited the venue of the agitation of the teachers at PMG Square and expressed solidarity with them.
Pradhan said education is the main capital of Odisha. More than 30 lakh students are studying in the Government’s fully or partially-aided institutions. If the Government pays the agitating teachers’ salary as per their demand, it would cost Rs 850 crore to the State exchequer, Pradhan said.
He further said that for the teachers to lead a dignified life, if Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000 crore is spent, there is a need for it. Since the teachers’ dignity and 30 lakh students’ future are involved, the State Government should immediately accept the teachers’ demands.
The Chief Minister, who has returned from his New Delhi visit, should find a way out to fulfil the teachers’ “justified” demands, said Pradhan.
Meanwhile, the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) has supported the teachers’ agitation and said the State Government should immediately meet their demands.
The State Government must resolve the impasse, for which education in thousands of schools has been affected, demanded AIDSO Odisha State Council president Ganesh Tripathy and secretary Subash Nayak.
Similarly, the Democratic Teachers’ Organisation (DTO) Odisha has strongly demanded abolishment of the Block Grant system. They congratulated the teachers for continuing the agitation in the humid conditions for five long days. DTO State president Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak demanded that the Government fulfil the teachers’ demands at the earliest without testing their patience.