EGS volunteers end stir after meeting Badal

Agitation by Education Guarantee Scheme volunteers in Bathinda demanding that the Punjab government revive certain centrally sponsored schemes ended after the intervention of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today.
The protest ended after the state government agreed to bear the burden of the schemes as "special state funded schemes" for a period of two years, an official release said here.
The Chief Minister met a delegation of EGS Volunteers Association led by its President Madan Lal here at his residence and at the end of the meeting said the government would "walk the extra mile despite heavy financial constraints," according to the release.

It said the problem had been created by the Centre, which had floated these schemes but later suddenly pulled out "without concern" for the future of the affected volunteers and children.
Giving details of the agreement, the release said, "The Chief Minister heard the delegation patiently. After considering all the demands of the EGS, he gave his nod to revive these centrally sponsored education schemes which were discontinued by the Congress-led UPA government in 2008.
"The Chief Minister also agreed to the proposal of the Association in principle to allow these volunteers to clear the mandatory Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET) within a period of two years to enable them to be appointed as regular teachers in the schools."

In another major decision, the Chief Minister also approved to enhance the consolidated honorarium from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per month of those EGS volunteers who had earlier worked under the EGS in the state and cleared Elementary Trained Teachers ETT or BEd, it said.