Dimapur, September 4 (MExN): Senior government employees feel let down by the Nagaland government, having been bundled out unceremoniously on the pretext of accommodating educated unemployed but young and novices. Nagaland Senior Government Employees’ Welfare Association issued a message, of retrospection and lament how having served the government for all their lives took an ill-conceived, counter-productive alternative.
“The unfortunate government employees whose only fault is they entered the service at the very young age of 18 years were the victims and became middle age unemployed. They were not mentally prepared as they are to leave their services abruptly which has compelled them to recall back their School/College going children who were also victimized,” stated the association in its statement.
35 years ago, Nagaland was still in infancy and the political situation was at its worst; considering the political scenario at that point of time many senior bureaucrats of the central service cadre did not want to shoulder the responsibilities of state affairs and left for other states either on deputation or left their place of posting “on long vacations.”
So, the NSGEWA said, entire responsibilities were left to a handful of state cadre service employees. In absence of proper infrastructures and road connectivity in the interior parts of the state coupled with the insurgency, this handful of loyal government employees took the challenge for the uplift of the Nagaland’s neglected people.
The association explained: “All those officials were honest, loyal and dedicated towards the responsibilities assigned to them and rendered their best services for the people. Therefore, they can be regarded pioneers in their respective field and departments. Accordingly, as a reward many of them were given out of turn promotion and many received prestigious award from the President of India and state governors from time to time for gallantry services, meritorious service, etc.”
But today, the situation has “improved” and the state is “well developed” but “the oldies” have been ignored and their utility undermined by the government “which is a mere excuse with the intention to kick them out of their services.”
“…the present DAN government could not withstand the pressure from one NGO that is NSF and passed the infamous Act, [the Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Second Amendment) Act, 2009] and made those loyal Govt. Employees scapegoat, shown them red card and sent them off unceremoniously.”
Under the pension rules, FR/SR “on attainment of superannuation age, one is given 6 months time to prepare and apart from it there is no other criteria/yardsticks to retire government employees from public service, such as length of service.” All senior government employees who have completed 35 years of service were given hardly two-and-a half months time “by violating all pension rules and violated their fundamental rights as well.”
Instead of the best services rendered, the NSGEWA stated, “it was lame excuse on the part of government on the pretext of accommodating educated unemployed youth…” The assertion and pretext was “to weed out the worthless, unintelligent, dead wood, corruptions, menace in public service and injurious to public interest, defamed and tarnished the image of those good officers, hurt their sentiments…”
