Cong wing seeks votes for Council poll candidates

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Karnataka Pradesha Congress Committee Teachers unit president Basavaraja Gurikara on Wednesday exuded confidence that both teachers and graduates would support Congress party candidates in the June 3 Legislative Council polls to be held for three Graduate and three Teachers constituencies in the state.

Speaking to reporters here he said that his party has successfully implemented pro-welfare schemes for teachers and youth, especially the Yuva Nidhi scheme aimed at providing employment dole outs to unemployed youth across the state.

He said the state government has also appointed 11,494 teachers to government -run schools, besides 35,000 guest teachers and provided Rs 50 lakh additional funds for universities in the state.

A total grant of Rs 350 crore was released by the government for promotion of university education.

The state has also increased the honorarium for guest teachers to Rs 8000 from Rs 5000, provided health insurance cover upto Rs five lakh for teachers and a one-time retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh to 60 plus retired teachers, The state has also brought 19,000 teachers into the OPS scheme form the NPS pension scheme, he claimed.

He appealed to teachers to re -elect Congress candidate from South Teachers constituency Marithibbe Gowda by giving their first preference votes to him.