The BSP members created a din in Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday and entered the well of the House demanding earlier clearance of cane dues and said Government’s apathy had forced farmers to commit suicide.
Raising the issue during zero hour leader of Opposition Swamy Prasad Maurya said that sugar mills are yet to clear over Rs 6000 crore of this season’s crushing while last year’s cane arrear was over Rs 4000 crore. "Farmers are committing suicide because Samajwadi Party Government was not sensitive to farmers’ demand," he said. When Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Azam Khan questioned last Mayawati government’s decision to sell sugar mills at a throwaway price the BSP members rushed into the well of the House raising anti-government slogans.
They however returned to their seats after Minister assured that Government will ensure regular payment of cane dues. Teachers: The Government admitted in the state assembly that there is acute shortage of teachers in the government primary schools. Primary Education Minister Ram Govind Choudhury said 4,583 primary schools and 1,484 upper primary schools have no regular teachers. ''The situation will change very soon after 1.68 lakh shiksha mitras would be promoted as assistant teachers in the primary schools,'' he said.
As per the national education norms, there should be one teacher on 30 students. Presently, there are 1,10,376 primary and 46,503 upper primary schools in the state while the teaching is being done by 1.71 lakh teachers in the primary section and 1.39 lakh in the higher primary section. Besides 1.68 lakh shiksha mitras were also engaged in the primary schools.
He said the state government was concern over the shortage of teachers hence more than one lakh new teachers would be appointed in a phase manner soon. Senior Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi criticised the police for not issuing charge sheet in case of her house being set on fire by Bahujan Samaj Party leaders in 2011. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Dr Joshi said that the incident occurred on July 16, 2011 and police completed inquiry on July 16, 2011. But the police is yet file charge sheet against the guilty BSP leaders.
''The present government is shielding the police officials and BSP leaders involved in the crime," she said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohammad Azam Khan assured Dr Joshi that government will look into the matter and expedite the case.