DIMAPUR, Sept 14 (MExN): Taking serious note of information that some organizations were prompting a move to raise the age limit for superannuation from the present 57 years to 60 years, the NSF has strongly warned any organizations as well as the Government from taking such a step.
NSF President V Pushika Awomi, made it clear that the federation would not tolerate any alteration of the present age status while reminding that there was a clear Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the NSF and the Nagaland Government as a result of an agitation by the former in 1991. “It should also be clear that the NSF undertook the issue of superannuation purely to safeguard the interest of our increasing number of unemployed youths” Pushika stated.
The NSF also reminded that “raising even a year on the age of superannuation would reduce thousands of unemployed Naga youths under the over-aged category thereby invalidating their qualifications for any government service”. It also stated that the first MoU was based on two system of retirement – 33 years of service or 57 years of age “whichever is earlier”. However due to the CANSSEA’s writ petition, the Court gave a ruling to it for an option for which the government service body chose the years of age as the basic clause for superannuation. “However over the years it has been proven that this option has resulted in numerous cases of age-tampering and manipulation of birth certificates”. NSF will now submit a representation to the Government in this regard and public opinion would be sought as to whether the years of age or the years of service should ‘prevail.’
