Forced State Government to enhance the salary

BMS backed Anganwadi workers on streets in Odisha

Carrying saffron flags about 25,000 Anganwadi workers of Odisha fought hours long battle on the streets of Bhubaneswar on February 11. Affiliated with the BMS, All Odisha Anganwadi Ladies’ Workers Association (AOALWA) gave war cry to see that their demands are fulfilled or else they would take the fight to very village. They were demanding a minimum wage of Rs 12,000 per month or to be declared as Government servants, Rs 3,000 as pension after retirement, Government aid and other social security benefits.

When the workers reached the Assembly for demonstration, the police made all arrangements to stop them. As the agitating women broke two barricades the police started lathicharge, tear gas cells and water cannon to disperse them. But all these failed to stop them and they continued their march. Dozens of Aganwadi workers fell unconscious while the police lathicharged and used tear gas shells. Hundreds of Anganwadi workers were arrested.

Protesting against the police action outside Assembly, the women sat on dharnas across the city and jammed the traffic. They declared that they would not return to the villages until the Government enhances their salaries. Finally the next day the State Government declared a hike of Rs 500 in the salary of Anganwadi workers and Rs 250 in their helpers’ salary. Anjali Patel, general secretary of the AOALWA led the agitation. BMS national organising secretary Shri KC Mishra also addressed the women during the agitation. —Samanwaya Nanda

Police use water cannons on ABVP workers protesting against FYUP in DU

In continuation of the ‘Save DU Movement’ initiated over a month ago, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) organised a massive protest march in the North Campus on February 12 against the Four Years’ Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) and other issues. The march culminated in an aggressive protest outside VC Office where the police resorted to lathicharge and used water cannons to stop the protesting students.Some workers also got injured in the police action. The ABVP declared DU Bandh on February 13. Around two thousand students from all over Delhi gathered at the Arts Faculty. Addressing the students, ABVP’s zonal organising secretary Umesh Dutt said DU belongs to the students but it is surprising that the authorities do not want to listen to the students. It leaves the students with just agitation as an option. ABVP State secretary Saket Bahuguna said they would not stop until FYUP is rolled back. He said re-evaluation and special chance should be restarted immediately. DUSU President Aman Awana and joint secretary Raju Rawat also addressed the students.

Education no more a priority for Governments: Sunil Ambekar

Bhubaneswar: “Bharatcan become a super power only through the youth of the country. Higher education plays an important role in this regard. But it is quite unfortunate that the education is no more a priority for the governments,” said national organising secretary of ABVP Shri Sunil Ambekar while speaking at theinaugural session of Odisha State convention in Balangir recently.

Shri Ambekar said the ABVP has starteda nationwide campaign for the youth to enroll them as voter. “Vidyarthi Parishad wants to ensurecent per cent voting by youth so thatgood people can come to the power,” he added.

Prashant Rout and Pramod Routwere elected State president and State secretary respectively in the convention. The convention also passed a resolution on the educational scenario of the State. It demanded setting up a health university for health science courses such as medical sciences, Ayur Veda, homeopathy, physiotherapy and pharmacy courses.

ABVP condemns attack on N-E students

The ABVP strongly condemned the recent attacks on North-East students in Delhi. In a statement it said being the national capital Delhi is a place where people from all over the nation have equal rights to live. Students from all over India come to Delhi for higher education and it is the duty of the concerned authorities to provide them adequate facilities and security for their smooth stay in Delhi. The ABVP also held a protest outside the Lajpat Nagar police after the killing of Nido Tania. Debarun Baruah, Northeast Cell organising secretary ABVP demanded immediate stern action against the culprits.

News in Brief

Surya Namaskar Yajna by Kreeda Bharati

Kreeda Bharati organised Surya Namaskar Yajna in Chennai on Ratha Saptami, February 6. Around 900 students performed Surya Namaskars at Nalli Kuppuswamy Vivekananda Vidyalaya, Chennai.Shri S Ramachandran, programme coordinator, Smt Kalaimani Principal, Shri B Prakash Vibhag Karyawah, Shri P Ramasamy atheltic Coach, Shri Ramamurthy, secretary of Vidya Bharati and Shri Jagathalaprathaban from Sankatan Mantri Kreeda Bharati were present on the occasion.

Prabal Pratap Singh is new president of NOBW

Shri Prabal Pratap Singh was elected new national president of National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) recently. Other office bearers are Shri Ramnath R Kini (working president)
Shri Ashwani Rana, Shri Anil Mathur and Shri HM Mally (vice presidents), Shri Mohan Kumtakar (ganeral secretary), Shri Rajeev A Pande (organising secretary), Shri Prakash S Sowany (treasurer), Shri KS Jayaram, Shri CV Khanzode, Shri S Sudhkar Shetty, Smt Archana P Sowany (secretaries), Shri J Vinod Kumar, Shri Sunil Bhagawat, Shri Ravindra Saharabuddhe, Shri Yanuprasad Kanal, Shri Sunil Singh (zonal secretaries).

Sikh Sangat demands justice for 84 riots victims

Rashtriya Sikh Sangat organised a protest at Jantar Mantar on February 11 demanding justice to the victims of 1984 Sikh massacre. Sikh president Sardar Gurcharan Singh Gill led the protest. He termed the riots as a black spot on the forehead of the nation, which needs to be condemned in strongest words. He said the culprits of the massacre are roaming free and nobody has been punished for this crime against humanity. He said after admitting by Rahul Gandhi that some Congressmen were involved in the massacre it leaves no space for any doubt that the Congressmen organised this massacre and they must be punished accordingly. Shri Devender Singh Gujaral, Shri RP Singh, Shri Avinash Jaiswal also addressed the protestors. Later a high level delegation of the Sikh Sangat led by president Sardar Gurcharan Singh Gill presented a memorandum to the President.

Two day conference of RMS and MMSKS

Two day national conference of Railway Mail Service (RMS) and Motor Mail Service Karmachari Sangh (MMSKS) was organised in Delhi from February 8 to 9. Delegates from different parts of the country participated in the meeting. The meeting discussed in details the departmental problems of the employees and decisions were taken for the future programmes. Shri Santosh Kumar Singh and Shri Anish Mishra and were re-elected general secretary and president of Bharatiya Rail Dak Sewa Karamachari Sangh for the next 3 years.

Their major demands include merger of 50 per cent DA with basic from January 1, 2011, constitution of seventh pay commission and make its terms and reference black and white, interim relief of Rs 7,000 at the earliest, income tax limit to be enhanced to Rs 5 lakh, abolition of new pension schemes and the coverage of all employees under the old scheme, etc. Zonal organising secretary of BMS Shri Pawan Kumar also addressed the workers.