Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 8
The Nagaland Senior Government Employees Welfare Association (NSGEWA) has on Tuesday launched a poster campaign over the bill on Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment. Among the many posters put up at the different locations of the state capital includes; “Introducing a Bill on the Nagaland Retirement from Public Service is unfortunate, Nagaland Government Servants Retirement Act from Public Service Bill infringes (our rights), Uphold the provisions of the service of the Naga people, Do not take away our rights and privilege, Uphold the Article 14 of the Constitution of India judiciously, Who ruless the state govt” etc.
It may be recalled that the government bill for introduction of Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Second Amendment) Bill, 2009 was moved at the assembly session on Tuesday. The Bill will be taken up for consideration and passing on July 10, Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) speaker Kiyanilie Peseyie told the assembly session on Tuesday.
In the financial memorandum of the Bill, it said the Bill is likely to superannuate approximately 3000 government employees during the current financial year 2009-10. Total pensionary benefits accruing will involve an approximate estimate expenditure of about 231.30 crores from the Consolidated Fund of the state of Nagaland. Copy of the Bill made accessible to press, said the amendment of Section 3 of the Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Amendment) Act 2007, the existing entry shall be substituted by the following: "Section 3 (I): Notwithstanding anything contained in any rule or orders for the time being in force, a person in public employment shall hold office for a term of 35 years from the date of joining public employment or until he attains the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier and "Section 3 (2): A person under public employment shall retire on the afternoon of the last day of the month in which he attains the age of 60 years, or in which he completes 35 years of public employment, whichever is earlier."
The Bill is extended to the whole of the state of Nagaland, a copy of the Bill made available to press said, adding that it shall come into force with effect from the date of publication in the official Gazette. The Bill, in its statement of objects and reasons stated that there were a large number of educated unemployed youths in Nagaland registered in the Employment Exchanges of Nagaland, who are in search of white collared employment, particularly under the government sector.
And whereas, such white collared employment opportunities outside the Government sectors is very negligible due to less presence of organized private sector, and the employment avenues in the government sector is also already saturated; and new job opportunities, in the government sector arising out of normal retirement vacancies, or creation of new jobs are inadequate to cater to the rising expectations of the educated youth for white collared employment, and whereas, the state government, being a welfare state, considers it necessary that job opportunities under the government sector should be shared by the citizens in a more equitable manner, and that this objective can be better achieved by fixing the upper age limit for retirement from government service, as well as by setting a limit on the maximum number of years a government servant may be allowed to be in government service; the statement said adding that therefore, the state government considers it expedient to introduce a bill in the state assembly that would set a limit on the number of years a person may be allowed to be in the service of the state government, by fixing the upper age limit, as well as the maximum length of service for any reason to be in government employment.
On the memorandum regarding delegated legislation, it said that the state government is delegated with the power to enact legislation under Clause 3 of Article 246 of the Constitution for the subjects enumerated in the Seventh Schedule List II entry 41 and pointed out that the delegated legislation was of normal character.
