Teachers Call Off Strike After Appeals, Threats
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Edition 1 Page 1_Layout 1 2/8/2019 3:09 PM Page 1 Volume No 19 Issue No 1 February 01, 2019 LAB JOURNAL OF THE ASIAN COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM Metro work puts Homeless lack Park for the shops in a rut proper shelters differently abled Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Teachers call off strike Budget: No income tax after appeals, threats for earnings upto 5L AADITHYAN J P any appointment orders, he said. ANAND JC bank accounts in three separate much delayed ‘1 rank 1 pension’ Additionally, the teachers took care instalments every year. A sum of Rs scheme had been implemented by The week-long strike by of over 1,50,000 children who Individuals who earn up to Rs 5 75,000 crore will be allocated every the Modi Government and more Government school teachers was suffer from mental retardation, lakh have been exempted from year, starting April 2019. than Rs 35,000 crore had been called off on Wednesday following visual and hearing impairment, and paying income tax in the interim Goyal said the scheme would be disbursed, he said. the appeal of several politicians and were orthopedically challenged. budget proposal presented by implemented retrospectively, Goyal claimed that India was reportedly after threats of “Even though the government Finance Minister Piyush Goyal in starting from December 1, 2018 constructing at least 27 km of roads suspension and loss of pay. provides all the equipment and the Lok Sabha on February 1. and that Rs 20,000 crore has been every day. “We are the fastest The strike had been called by the funding we are the mediators who In what is seen as another sop in allocated for the current financial highway developers in the world,” Joint Action of Council of Tamil put them to use, and we are still the run-up to the General Elections year for this purpose. The first he said and added that Rs 19,000 Nadu Teachers Organisation and being paid only Rs 14,000 per expected in April-May, Goyal instalment will be disbursed before crore had been allocated to Pradhan Government Employees’ month,” he added. announced that interest income on the elections. Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Organisation in support of better Laxman, a teacher at a bank deposits of up to Rs 40,000 Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi “We have restored the image of pay among other things. Government Higher Secondary wouldn’t be taxed. The limit was Maandhaan scheme was the country, India is back on track,” The New Indian Express quoted School in Nandanam, said “I see Rs 10,000 earlier. announced for workers who earn Goyal said, pointing to the inflation Meenakshisundaram, one of the my students as my own children, The standard deduction will be less than Rs 15,000 a month in the rate under NDA had fallen to 4.6 State coordinators of the and this is why I have chosen not to raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 unorganised sector. These workers per cent as compared to 10.1 association, as saying "Respecting go on strike as it will affect their for the salaried class. will get a pension of Rs 3,000 a recorded under the UPA regime. the sentiments of people and Teachers at a rally in Nandanam | AADITHYAN J P studies. Even though I have two The gratuity payment limit has month after they turn 60. BJP President Amit Shah said, having students' welfare in our children of my own, I did what I been increased to Rs 20 lakh from Goyal claimed that under the “The budget has met the hearts, we have decided to end the teachers have rejoined their posts, settle it after the exams get over,” thought was right for all of us.” Rs 10 lakh. BJP-led NDA regime direct tax expectations of farmers, labourers strike." with most of them returning on she added. Besides improved salaries, The assessment and verification collection had risen from Rs 6.38 and the middle class.” Media reports said the Friday. Many teachers were absent Selva Singh, a special educator teachers demanded benefits under of IT returns would be completed lakh crore in 2013-14 to almost Rs However, Congress leader Sashi Government had also threatened to from their posts but did not join the for the differently abled, said, “We the GPF (General Provident Fund) digitally in 24 hours, Goyal said. 12 lakh crore now. Goyal credited Tharoor questioned if PMKSN was appoint new teachers in place of protest fearing the repercussions.” went on strike as we have been instead of the current CPF Turning to the rural sector, Goyal the demonetization scheme for this good enough. “Rs 6,000 in income those on strike and that following “What they have done to the teaching for more than 20 years as (Contributory Provident Fund). announced the Pradhan Mantri rise. “Rs 1.3 lakh crore of support for farmers boils down to this warning many employees primary level teachers is even part of the Tamil Nadu Government “This would help as we wouldn’t Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKSN) undisclosed income came to the Rs 500 per month. Is that supposed returned to work. worse as they have reduced their Education Department.” have to keep losing a chunk of our for more than 12,000 small and system due to demonetization,” to enable them to live with the Renuka Lakshmi, a teacher at the salaries. Keeping the matter of the But, even after having a service salary every month and we’d get marginal farmers. Farmers with Goyal said. honour and dignity? The whole Boys Higher Secondary School in students in mind the court asked the record of more than two decades, assured pension just like it was land under two hectares will get Rs More than Rs 3 lakh crore has (budget) exercise has turned out to Nandanam said, “All of our teachers to set aside the issue and some teachers still had not received before,” Laxman added. 6,000 transferred directly into their been allocated for Defence. The be a damp squib,” he said. Chennai faces Taps dry, water sells in bottles E-toilets unkempt, water shortage ANSHITA BHATT Some 20 days ago, workers from a mobile Corp disagrees this summer phone company dug up Sarojini Street in AISHANI SAHA unused for months.” AKSHARA SRIVASTAVA Pallavaram to lay cables, and damaged the The e-toilet opposite the office of only water supply line. But residents claim E-toilets installed in front of one of Greater Chennai Corporation on Come summer 2019, Chennai will be facing a that they have not been receiving proper Chennai’s largest shopping malls, Velachery Main Road in Lakshmi severe water shortage. Rainfall wasn’t water supply for the past 20 years now. Phoenix Marketcity, are in poor Puram is in better condition. The satisfactory last year and the levels in the four Of the two water supply lines running in condition. sanitary napkin disposal machine reservoirs that feed Chennai are going down and the place, the Metro Water line has not According to the Eram Scientific works and the toilets are cleaner. are now well below their storage capacity. started functioning while the other line Solution company which makes e- Chandrasekhar Mahadeo (41), However, rainwater harvesting has helped to supplies water from the Palar river once a toilets, the door of an e-toilet opens who owns a pharmacy shop nearby some extent in saving groundwater in some week; but this is irregular and inadequate, only when a Re 1 coin is inserted. said, “Passersby sometimes use it areas, even though the water tables have gone say the residents. The lights switch on but more often it is down in many places. “We have to pay for our daily supply of automatically, saving used by drug addicts at Sekhar Raghavan, founder of the Rain Centre, water,” says Sabrimani (44), who has been power. But in these night to take drugs and said rainwater harvesting was not a complicated living in the area for the past five years. e-toilets the doors alcohol.” He said that engineering process but a simple mechanism for K. Rubiya, another resident says, “A were open all the E-toilets are used to the Corporation sent saving water. public tap near the next railway station, time with no take drugs and people to check the The mechanism included connecting the Chrompet, supplies water all round. But we electricity and the consume alcohol toilets once in two rooftop to underground recharge wells, an have to walk 20 minutes to get our buckets Water supply on Sarojini Street was disrupted after the road was dug machines where the - Chandrasekhar months, but they did underground tank, often called a sump, or an filled.” user has to put a coin “ not clean them. open well through pipes that are fitted with Those who cannot walk daily pay for the up to lay cables for a mobile phone company. | ANSHITA BHATT in, were broken. Mahadeo However, R. filters. water. Narayanan from the neighbouring Auto driver P. Devadas, Assistant Some residents in Gandhi Nagar have Pallavan Colony says, “One fellow fetches through our well,” says Tilakavati from abundant mineral water in shops but no Ramesh said, “The taps have run Executive Engineer of the Greater installed a basic water harvesting system in their water for us and charges Rs 10 per pail (18 Pallavan Colony. “At other times, we buy drinking water in homes,” exclaims out of water and the flush doesn’t Chennai Corporation, Velachery homes. litres) for labour.