Following late-night talks at their protest site next to the State Assembly in Bhubaneswar, government representatives put off the primary school teachers' agitation in Odisha on Tuesday. Sources claim that MLA Babu Singh and former Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu arrived to the dharna location and gave the protesting teachers assurances that the administration would formally address their concerns.
They asked for seven days to have a formal discussion with the Department of Mass Education and the School. The leaders of the "Prathamika Shikshyak Mahasangha" declared a withdrawal of their protest after receiving this promise.
Since Friday, thousands of primary teachers from all over the state have been holding day-and-night protests in front of the Assembly, calling for benefits related to their service and a compensation revision.

Upgrades to Level-2 positions, a basic wage of Rs 35,400 with a grade pay of Rs 4,200, and an extension of regular service benefits, including pension, were among their main requests.
They claimed that Odisha's grade pay of just Rs 2,200 puts primary teachers at a disadvantage when other states give much higher pay grades.
The operation of primary schools in Odisha had been negatively hampered by the strike. During Zero Hour, opposition members Goutam Buddha Das (BJD) and Pabitra Saunta (Congress) brought up the matter inside the Assembly.
Nityananda Gond, Minister of School and Mass Education, reaffirmed the government's readiness to have a conversation.In the best interests of the pupils, he urged the teachers to return to work, saying that while not all demands could be fulfilled right away, talks would go on.
In the meantime, school cooks held a simultaneous protest on Mahatma Gandhi Marg to demand that their monthly salary be raised to Rs 13,860.