Jagannathpur, Oct 2: On the last day of his two day Jharkhand visit, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced that the honorarium of teachers of Odia schools in the neighbouring state will be doubled from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 per month forthwith.
A House Committee of the Odisha Legislative Assembly will make a visit soon to ascertain the problems faced by the Odia-speaking people in Jharkhand and steps will be taken based on its report, Majhi said.
Over 40 lakh Odia- speaking people reside in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Sareikela and Kharsuan areas of Jharkhand. However, the sizeable population is utterly neglected by the Hemant Soren government and efforts are being made to suppress Odia language and culture, Majhi told media persons after attending back-to-back election rallies at Jagannathpur and Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district
The previous Naveen Patnaik government had been providing an honorarium of Rs 3,000 each to teachers in Odia schools in Jharkhand following the intervention of Utkal Sammilani. A monthly honorarium of Rs 3,000 to a teacher is too meagre in current times.
“The Odia Samaj here broght this to my notice and I immediately assured them to double the amount of Rs 3000 to Rs 6,000,” Majhi said.
Though the BJD government had announced to increase the honorarium to Rs 4,000, it is yet to be implemented. The arrears of Rs 1,000 as promised by the previous government will be cleared with retrospective effect, Majhi added.
