Bhagalpur: A government teacher in Bhagalpur district of the state doubles up as a 'delivery boy' during night hours to meet the family expenses.
Amit Ranjan, a government physical teacher posted at Madhya Vidyalaya Rajnandipur Sabour in Bhagalpur, becomes a delivery boy every night to earn a few extra bucks given his meager salary in times of high inflation. Ranjan gets a salary of only Rs 8,000 which is not sufficient by any means for bearing the expenses of himself leave apart his family. Given the low means, Ranjan decided to become a food delivery boy for extra income.
Recalling his old days with ETV Bharat, Ranjan said that when he got a government job two and a half years ago in 2022, his happiness knew no bounds.
“I gave the exam in November 2019 and the result came in 2020, in which I got 74 marks. After this, there was a wave of happiness in the family, but when it was learned that the salary would be only 8 thousand rupees, this happiness turned into sorrow very quickly," Ranjan said.
Ranjan said that despite his dedication, the government has not hiked his salary even after two and a half years. To add insult to injury, the government has withheld Ranjan's salary for four months since February, which further increased his financial crisis, he said.
What forced him to double up as a delivery agent?
Ranjan said that in the face of financial crisis, he borrowed money from friends, but when the debts accumulated, he applied for the job of a delivery agent on the insistence of his wife. Ranjan said that he secured the job of a food delivery agent on the Internet as there was no time constraint. After school, Ranjan goes to people's houses from 5 pm to 1 am and delivers their food to earn some extra bucks.
Ranjan said that his teacher's job has been labeled as “part time” by the government to deprive him his due right while former teachers were being paid as high as Rs 40000 salary.
“Even after two and a half years, the government has not increased our salary nor is it taking the eligibility test,” he complained.
Resentment among locals
On the other hand, locals from Ranjan's neighbourhood are also upset seeing the teacher's miserable condition. Dr. Shyamanand Kumar, who is delivered food by Ranjan during his part time expressed his displeasure over the “ill-treatment” meted out to Ranjan by the government.
“I am very sad to hear about Amit. Where do these people fit in the government's policy? Despite being educated and capable, these people have been kept hanging. They cannot do any other work outside,” Kumar said.
"What can be done with 8 thousand rupees in today's time? Even a laborer earns Rs 12,000. How will we feed ourselves and our family with 8 thousand? It is not clear what the government wants. The government should think about such people,” he added.
Read more:
