Lanu Ao
While the Government of Nagaland has acted callously, it is heartening to see our young children displaying maturity and far sightedness in their demands pertaining to two vital issues, namely, the functioning of the NPSC and retirement age for government employees both which touch the lives of many Naga in one way or the other.
It is indeed great tragedy that our younger generation has lost confidence in the integrity and sanctity of the NPSC as reported to the Governor of Nagaland by the NSF. This conviction has inevitably caused havoc to their studies and careers as the same has killed their zeal to excel in their studies. To land a good job by merit through fair competitions to be conducted properly by the NPSC is the highest aim of our students which in turn makes them give their best to their studies. Thus having done well in their studies with this objective, they easily find jobs outside Nagaland even if they do not find one through the NPSC due to dearth of jobs. But by killing their spirit of healthy competition and determination to excel in their studies due to loss of confidence in the integrity, sanctity or efficiency of the NPSC, an irreparable damage has been and is being done to the entire younger generation in particular and the society in general.
This tragedy would not have occurred if any Impartial Search Committee had been constituted to search, interview and select capable people from any part of the country to man the post of Chairman, and members of the NPSC. Honestly speaking, people brought from outside Nagaland would have done much better. Further, both Secretary and the Controller of Examination should be promotees from amongst the employees of Commission who have had some experience in the nature of the work. Unfortunately, I am afraid the former Chief Minster, Neiphieu Rio, is to be squarely blamed for the whole mess as it is learnt that all the members of the Commission including the Chairman were hand-picked by him based solely on their political party affiliation, instead of selection through a search committee.
Raising the age of superannuation for the state government employees to 60 years without fixing a limit on the length of service was premature. In Nagaland, employment for the educated means government service only. As per reports, there are some 40,000 educated unemployed youths in the state waiting for government jobs. It is a fact that most of the elderly government employees are hanging on their jobs on the strength of false date and year of birth shown in their certificates. If only they want to, the same can be corrected t the time through an affidavit signed before an authorized magistrate. They can also opt for voluntary retirement if they wish to be truthful. It is also a fact that most of the educated unemployed youths are more educated, better qualified and will be more efficient than most of these over-aged government employees surely will not die of starvation whereas the educated employed youths can. It is also a fact that from now onwards, the government will spend hundreds of crores of rupees annually to meet expenditures during the coming three years. No new posts will be created because the number of employees in every office / department has reached saturation levels, and many are drawing their salaries without doing such work.
It is such a pity that these educated unemployed children have now been compelled to approach the Governor after their own elected government has done them wrong and flatly refused to undo the wrong even after such a lot of requests and demands.
Though the DAN government had carried out a lot of developments with the generous funds pumped into the state by the centre, the good works appear to be negated by their wrong actions on the two issues mentioned above. How I wish His Excellency, the Governor of Nagaland, would find a way of rectifying these two blunders committed by the government and created by the government and create a better future for the youth of Nagaland.
.jpg)
