Accompanied by heads of various mutts and teachers, MLC and former Minister Basavaraj Horatti launched a relay hunger strike in Dharwad on Saturday seeking fulfilment of various demands pertaining to schoolteachers and private educational institutions. And on the first day of the agitation, the government issued an order fulfilling one of the demands of the protesters.
Launching the agitation, the heads of various mutts including Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami of Moorusavir Mutt, Hubballi, expressed displeasure over the State government’s apathy towards the long-pending demands of the teachers and private unaided educational institutions, particularly those imparting education in rural areas. They said that although repeated pleas had been made to the government on behalf of the teaching and non teaching staff of private institutions, the government had not responded.
Mr. Horatti said that the teachers and private school managements were forced to launch the strike as the government had failed to respond to their repeated pleas. He said that employees of private aided institutions were being deprived of benefits extended to teachers of government institutions. JD(S) national General Secretary N.H. Konaraddi suggested launching a ‘padayatra’ to Bengaluru, if the government failed to respond again.
Karnataka Rajya Madhyamika Shala Noukarara Sangha, private educational institution employees, and Management Boards Coordination Committee and other organisations have jointly launched the strike.
The main demands are providing grant-in-aid to all permanent unaided educational schools and colleges that meet the criteria; implementation of the recommendations of Basavaraj Horatti Committee on Notional Increment; abolition of the new pension scheme and reinstatement of the old one; extension of ‘Jyoti Sanjivini’ scheme to aided educational institutions; release of salary grants to N.A. Muttanna Memorial Police Children Residential School and reopening of the school; implementation of Vaidyanathan Committee Report in total; immediate withdrawal of the order on stopping recruitments of teachers; extension of all benefits provided to government employees to employees of private aided educational institutions and others.
Grants released
The State government on Saturday issued an order releasing salary grants to 22 employees of N.A. Muttanna Memorial Police Residential School in Dharwad. This was one of the demands of the protester. Although Mr. Horatti had written a series of letters to the CM on the salary grants and reopening of the school, nothing had happened till date.
Mr. Horatti has said that the agitation would continue till the fulfilment of the remaining demands
