Dimapur, December 20 (MExN): The Naga Students Federation (NSF) has taken strong exception to the Legislation endorsing the raise in retirement age for government employees to 60 years during the 13th Assembly of Nagaland Legislative, without taking the Length of Service into consideration. “This Legislation will be consequential in creating job stagnancy for another three years and therefore, the ill of the unemployed youth will aggravate during these contentious years”, NSF General Secretary Hetoi Chishi stated in a press note received here.
Pointing out that unlike other States, “dependency of Government job in Nagaland as a means of survival is magnanimous” and that “privatesector employment opportunity is yet to take a lift and until such time an alternative means of employment is unveiled, the saturation on the government sector as the only employment bearing tree cannot be cut down”.
In the light of above, the NSF strongly declared that it shall not compromise on the length of service as it was an “indispensable mechanism to eradicate age irregularities and manipulation as well as a tool to ameliorate the plight of the unemployed youths and thereby bring equality in the pursuit to government servant hood”.
The press note informed that the state government had convened a meeting with NSF official representatives on December 11 and 12, 2007 whereby the State Chief Secretary explained the stand and position of the state government and pointed out that this had failed to convince the NSF. The General Secretary also informed that the state government had requested the NSF not to resort to agitation during the forthcoming festive season and that the Federation after thorough deliberation in its official council meeting resolved to suspend its schedule programme of phase wise agitation for the time being during the festive season. The phase wise agitation as planned earlier by the federation will however resume once the festive season is over, the NSF informed.
Meanwhile, the Federation extended its warm greetings and wished “A Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year 2008” to one and all.
