Bhubaneswar, Dec. 20: The Odisha government today announced that it would provide 60 per cent of the salary to 24,000 agitating teachers of block grant high schools.

The government will also extend these benefits to newly-opened high schools in 224 gram panchayats and to 916 upper primary schools.

These decisions, to be effective from April 1 next year, would entail an additional expenditure of Rs 72.88 crore per annum, said school and mass education minister Pratap Jena in the state Assembly.

The teachers, who had been on agitation since December 15, forcing the schools to shut down, said they would like the government to give them 100 per cent of their salary.

However, they decided to call off their agitation for the time being.

The sops for teachers were announced ahead of the forthcoming panchayat polls for which the code of conduct will be enforced soon.

Jena said that out of 1,982 block grant schools, the state government would pay grants to 1,587 schools that have shown good results.

These schools would be given 60 per cent of the teachers’ salary as per the 6th Pay Commission recommendations. Besides, grants would be given for payment of 11 per cent of the dearness allowance.

Teachers of all 1,982 block grant schools have been on hunger strike in front of the Assembly since December 15 and they had threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands for 100 per cent grants for payment of their salary were not met.

However, the government has agreed to bear 60 per cent of the salary payment to teachers of 1,587 out of 1,982 block grant high schools.

The remaining schools will not be entitled to grants because of dismal performance in examinations.

At present, block grant high school teachers get Rs 4,995 as salary. After the revision, they will get Rs 8,991 per month, including dearness allowance.

The agitating teachers, however, were not entirely satisfied with the government’s announcement.

“We want complete abolition of the block grant system and salary at par with our government counterparts. We are calling off the agitation for the time being. We will decide the future course of action within a week,” said president of Block Grant Secondary School Teachers’ and Employees’ Association Prasant Kumar Mohapatra.