http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1097771
SC/ST school staff call off hunger strike PTI Friday, May 18, 2007 22:35 IST MUMBAI: Staff of the 262 government non-aided residential schools for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes, who were on an indefinite hunger strike over various demands, have called it off after an assurance from the state government. The strike was called-off after the state government promised that their demands for school grants will be taken-up during the coming Monsoon Session. The school staff of SC/ST NGO run schools from all over Maharashtra began their indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on Thursday to protest the government's alleged indifference towards their demands. Over 2000 staff, including institutional heads assembled and the hunger strike was led by the Akhil Bharatiya Anusuchit Jati (ABAJ). ABAJ Chairman Haribhau Rathod and deputy chairman Dinesh Kaknate along with other staff met the social welfare secretary Ramesh Ubale who promised them that their issue will be taken during the monsoon session. "We have accpted his intervention and called off the strike," Rathod said. "Since past 4-5 years all these schools have been running by the money put in by the institutional heads themselves and each one is under debt of atleast Rs 35 lakh. Also, there are no teachers in these schools because the government is not providing grants," said Ankush Jadhav, one of the institutional head participating in the fast. There are 50,000 students studying in these schools and 10,000 staff are working. "We do not want to have a repeat of farmers' condition in education field," Kaknate added.
