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Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, October 18
On the eve of Dasehra, about 500 teachers from all seven Assembly seats of Gurdaspur district on Thursday burnt an effigy of Ravana to demonstrate their anger against the state government.
Four pictures were pasted on the effigy. These were of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Education Minister OP Soni and Education Secretary Krishan Kumar. Amid sloganeering, the effigy was lit at 4:30 pm in Nehru Park, where police personnel were deployed.
Union leaders said if the state government wanted its schools to survive, it should follow the recommendations of the Kothari commission. “In 1966, the Kothari commission had recommended that 3 per cent of the total budget of a state government should be set aside for the smooth running of schools. The Punjab Government adopted the recommendations but in 1997, it suddenly started diverting funds. Out of 3 per cent allocated to the Education Department, funds were diverted to the police department to fight terrorism. Now that there is no terrorism, we urge the government follow the recommendation again,” said Kuldeep Singh Purewal, union leader of the Gurdaspur unit of the Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha.
Leaders also flayed the Chief Minister for reducing the salaries of SSA, RMSA teachers. “How can the government have money when it indulges in populist measures? Was there any need to start the ‘karza kurki khatam, fasal di poori rakam’ initiative wherein debts of thousands of farmers have been waived?,” said a leader.
Muktsar: Several teachers’ unions burnt an effigy of Ravana at Kotkapura chowk here on Thursday. Equating the demon king with the CM, the Education Minister and the Finance Minister, they slammed the government’s decision to reduce the salaries of some teachers in the name of regularisation of services.
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