Echo in Assembly, MLAs close ranks

BHUBANESWAR: Members, cutting across party lines, on Tuesday said in the Assembly that the demands of gana sikshaks and siksha sahayaks should be conceded by the  Government. Santosh Singh Saluja, Congress, said salary of siksha sahayaks should be increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 6,000 a month. He also said services of gana sikshaks should be regularised as promised by the Government. His party colleagues Sadhu Nepak and Debi Prasanna Chand also demanded immediate measures conceding their demands.Leader of the BJP Legislature Party (BJPLP) KV Singhdeo requested the Speaker to direct the Minister of State for School and Mass Education Pratap Jena to make a statement in the House on the steps taken by the Government to fulfil the demands of the para-teachers and announce dates of HSC re-exams.Expressing concern over the delay in conducting the examinations because of theft of question papers, Singhdeo said there would not have been so much delay had the Government prepared a second set of question papers. Amar Prasad Satpathy (NCP) too demanded announcement of revised schedule of the exams.Pradip Maharathi (BJD) said though the Speaker had directed the State Government to take a note of the demands of the gana sikshaks, no step had been initiated so far. He demanded a clarification by the Minister.