Jharkhand para teachers write to PM in blood

Paid a meagre Rs 6,000 per month, they are demanding a 25 per cent hike in salary

Ranchi, Oct 22: Thousands of para teachers in Jharkhand, on strike for more than a month demanding a wage hike, have written a letter in blood to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in the matter.

"Please help us," wrote Abhilasha Jha, a para teacher who came here to participate in the ongoing agitation from Baghmara block of Dhanbad district.

"The Raghubar Das government is not taking any interest in resolving our issues. We have been working for the past several years but we are not getting proper salary. We hope the Prime Minister will intervene and help us," Abhilasha told reporters here on Saturday.

The teachers have been detained in Ranchi camp jail. A few of the detained women para teachers contributed their blood -- drawn with syringes -- to write the letter to the Prime Minister.

Jharkhand has 80,000 para teachers. Paid a meagre Rs 6,000 per month, they are demanding a 25 per cent hike in salary. However, the state government has agreed to a 10 per cent hike.

Para teachers are recruited on ad-hoc basis for teaching in schools and alternative learning centres.

Jharkhand's education department has warned the striking teachers to return to work or their services will be terminated.

IANS