Bhubaneswar, Dec. 10: Art college teachers and students from across the state today ended their demonstrations following assurance by the state government that their demands would be considered in the Assembly in the next budget session.

The art teachers and students were protesting in front of the Assembly for more than a week.

More than 200 protesters from various art and crafts colleges in Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Sundargarh and Keonjhar hit the streets against the state government's alleged step-motherly treatment towards them. They also staged a play to showcase the problems they face regularly.

The protesters raised demands for grant-in-aid to lecturers and staff members.

"We have not received any financial assistance from the government for more than 22 years. It is high time the government takes steps towards our betterment," said Panchanan Samal, secretary of Odisha Kala Mahavidyalaya Adhyapaka and Karmachari Sangh.

However, the state government has assured them that their issues would be taken up in the next budget session, leading to the withdrawal of their protest.

"Most of us are the sole breadwinners of our families and it is getting tough to run our households without a decent salary. Despite several pleas, the authorities have not taken any step to solve our problems," he said.

The students are demanding benefits such as monthly stipend and modern equipment for better education.

"We do not have a proper studio to learn our art forms. Sometimes, there are no raw materials. All these are hampering our academic pursuits and the government has also turned a deaf ear to our demands," said Subrat Das, a student agitator.

They have also demanded improvement in the infrastructure of the colleges. "We want the government to set up art galleries and auditoriums so that the students can display their talents. We are not demanding large rooms but our basic needs should be fulfilled," Samal said.

"We try our best to impart proper education to the students in the limited resources available. But we need financial assistance and other support to ensure sophisticated education to the students which the government needs to take care of, considering on the importance of art and culture in the state," said Kalpita Sahoo, another protester.

The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and the culture department. "We are considering their demands," said secretary of the culture department Manoranjan Panigrahy.