Teachers protest in Ludhiana against government's policies.
Ludhiana: Hundreds of teachers comprising teacher unions, including Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), 6635 ETT Teachers Union, 4161 Master Cadre Union, and several other affiliated groups, protested on Ferozepur Road near the office of Rajya Sabha MP and Ludhiana West bypoll candidate Sanjeev Arora on Wednesday, raising slogans against the government for not having accepted their long-standing demands and not addressing educational and employment-related concerns.
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State president of DTF Vikram Dev Singh, Sandeep Gill of 4161 Teachers Union, Gurbakhshish Singh of 899 English Teacher Union, and other unions address the teachers and spoke about several issues and problems being faced by educators.
Union leaders from these unions accused the government of betraying the teaching community, stating that despite repeated assurances, policies continue to marginalize teachers and deny them their rightful dues.
The so-called Sikhya Kranti by the Punjab government is nothing more than a hollow slogan, said Vikram Dev Singh from DTF highlighting the growing disillusionment among educators.
They also demanded the withdrawal of termination notices issued to several master and ETT cadre teachers, who were excluded from merit lists due to technical reasons.
They also raised concerns about the lack of transfer options for promoted teachers, despite serving far from home for years.
The demands also included implementing court orders granting full pay scales to 5,178 teachers, and more.
The unions called for the regularization of Meritorious School teachers with full benefits.
Other key issues raised included restoring pending DA arrears. They also demanded that the rural and border area allowances be restored which were key to encourage teachers to teach in rural areas.
As tensions rose, teachers also clashed briefly with the police during a protest march, but later agreed to conclude the rally after confirming upcoming meetings with the Education Secretary on June 13 and the Chief Minister on June 18 in Chandigarh.
They issued a stern warning to the government that if their demands are not met, the struggle will intensify the stir across the state.
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Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
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Ludhiana: Teachers hold statewide protest, slam government over unmet promises
Government school teachers from across the state gathered outside Punjab Agricultural University for a statewide protest rally on Wednesday. The demonstration was led by various teachers' unions, including the Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) Punjab, 6635 ETT Teachers Union, 4161 Master Cadre Union, and others. Terming the policies of the Punjab government as discriminatory and unjust, the teachers accused the government of turning its back on them, claiming that the tall claims of bringing an 'Education revolution' now appear to be hollow. The agitated teachers raised various issues, such as job insecurity after being removed from recruitment lists, exclusion from transfer processes, failure to regularise meritorious school staff, non-implementation of old pension schemes, pending promotions, blocked allowances, and pay scale disparities. They slammed the government for issuing termination notices to teachers whose futures remain uncertain due to faulty recruitment decisions. The protest saw participation from teachers working hundreds of kilometers away from their hometowns who were denied even basic transfer opportunities after demanded the implementation of a court decision regarding providing full pay to 5,178 teachers during probation and regularisation of 7,654 Hindi subject educators and open distance learning teachers. The termination order of Ravinder Kamboj and delay in regular orders for several cadres were highlighted as examples of deep-rooted injustice. 'Ravinder was appointed on a contractual basis in 2013 and was due for regularisation in 2016. However, he was abruptly terminated in 2015 on the grounds that his postgraduate degree was not in the relevant subject. In a major relief, the Punjab and Haryana high court ruled in his favour in February this year, ordering the state government to regularise his services. Despite the court's directive, the government has failed to act, and Kamboj continues to work on a meagre monthly salary of ₹10,300 — the same since his initial appointment in 2013,' explained DTF president Vikram Dev Singh. Union leaders, including Vikram Dev Singh, Tina, Gaurav Sharma, and others addressed the protestors, demanding cancellation of direct recruitment orders for principals and block primary education officers (BPEOs) and restoration of 25% direct recruitment and 75% promotion quota. They further pressed for pay scale revisions for physical training instructors and art and craft teachers, regular jobs for contract and volunteer teachers, restoration of blocked rural and border allowances, and immediate fulfilment of all pending teacher promotions and recruitments. As tensions rose during the protest march, a brief scuffle broke out with the police. 'Our rally concluded as we have been assured meetings with the education secretary on June 13 and the chief minister on June 18 by the district administration officials,' said Vikram. 'This protest sent a clear message. Punjab's teachers are no longer willing to be silent victims of broken promises,' said Deepak Kamboj, state president of the 6635 ETT Teachers' Union.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Teachers protest in Ludhiana against government's policies.
Ludhiana: Hundreds of teachers comprising teacher unions, including Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), 6635 ETT Teachers Union, 4161 Master Cadre Union, and several other affiliated groups, protested on Ferozepur Road near the office of Rajya Sabha MP and Ludhiana West bypoll candidate Sanjeev Arora on Wednesday, raising slogans against the government for not having accepted their long-standing demands and not addressing educational and employment-related concerns. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now State president of DTF Vikram Dev Singh, Sandeep Gill of 4161 Teachers Union, Gurbakhshish Singh of 899 English Teacher Union, and other unions address the teachers and spoke about several issues and problems being faced by educators. Union leaders from these unions accused the government of betraying the teaching community, stating that despite repeated assurances, policies continue to marginalize teachers and deny them their rightful dues. The so-called Sikhya Kranti by the Punjab government is nothing more than a hollow slogan, said Vikram Dev Singh from DTF highlighting the growing disillusionment among educators. They also demanded the withdrawal of termination notices issued to several master and ETT cadre teachers, who were excluded from merit lists due to technical reasons. They also raised concerns about the lack of transfer options for promoted teachers, despite serving far from home for years. The demands also included implementing court orders granting full pay scales to 5,178 teachers, and more. The unions called for the regularization of Meritorious School teachers with full benefits. Other key issues raised included restoring pending DA arrears. They also demanded that the rural and border area allowances be restored which were key to encourage teachers to teach in rural areas. As tensions rose, teachers also clashed briefly with the police during a protest march, but later agreed to conclude the rally after confirming upcoming meetings with the Education Secretary on June 13 and the Chief Minister on June 18 in Chandigarh. They issued a stern warning to the government that if their demands are not met, the struggle will intensify the stir across the state.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Digital battleground: Meme war takes over Ludhiana West byelection campaigning
As political campaigns in Ludhiana West Assembly constituency become intense ahead of the bypoll, a parallel contest is playing out—not on the ground, but in the digital realm. A series of freshly created social media pages have transformed political campaigning into a meme war, with supporters and critics using satire, animation, and viral formats to sway public opinion. Two of the most talked-about pages are 'Punjab Bolda' and 'Ludhiana Viral Stories'. While Punjab Bolda appears to focus solely on the Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, the page has taken a sharp critical tone. It regularly uploads edited videos portraying Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu in a negative light—often overlaying his image on movie villains or video game characters, complete with dramatic background music and popular film dialogues. On the other hand, Ludhiana Viral Stories and BJP Ludhiana Lok Sabha page seems to target the Aam Aadmi Party's candidate, Sanjeev Arora. From sarcastic memes to animated clips, the page has used humour to mock Arora's campaign promises and public appearances. Scenes from Bollywood and south Indian films have been creatively re-edited to depict him in exaggerated or comic scenarios. Apart from these, several other pages, like 'Fan Ashu De', have emerged, seemingly in support of individual candidates. But even these often engage in subtle digs at the opposition, blurring the line between support and attack. What makes this digital battle even more compelling is the level of creativity—some videos are crafted with high production quality, complete with voice-overs, graphics, and punch lines that reflect the online community's flair for satire. These viral clips and memes are being widely shared across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, especially among younger voters. While some view it as harmless fun or modern-day political commentary, others worry that such content may lead to misinformation or character assassination.
