Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 10
Ending months of speculation the Nagaland Legislative Assembly today passed the Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Second Amendment) Bill 2009 which states that a person shall hold office for a term of 35 years from the date of joining government service or until he attains the age of 60 years – whichever comes first. The bill was passed by voice vote after a brief discussion participated by both the ruling and Opposition members.
Defending the decision to pass the bill, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said that in doing so, the government intends to strike a balance between the length of service and age of retirement and said the government made the decision with balanced mind after thorough study. Insisting that the bill was necessitated due to saturation point of employment opportunities in the government, he disclosed that he had consulted the Accountant General of Nagaland on the issue before making the decision. Rio also maintained that the government was trying to pave way for youngsters by accommodating them in government service. He made an appeal to employees who stand to be affected, to pave way for the unemployed youth of the state. He also assured that the bill would not contribute to the budget deficit. Also expressing serious concern over the issue of age tampering, he made an appeal to such employees to voluntary retire, cautioning them of consequences.
Earlier, taking part in the discussions, MLA KL Chishi accused the state government of having a hidden agenda and insisted that service rules would have to be amended to justify the bill. He insisted that the government hold back the bill and study it carefully before passing it. Opposition Leader Chingwang Konyak, while agreeing with Rio that it was very important to create employment opportunities for the youth, appealed to the government to look into the welfare of the affected employees. MLA K. V Pusa also participated in the discussions.
Earlier, Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board, Neiba Kronu had moved for amendment to Clause I Sub-Clause 3 regarding enforcement date of the bill on the principles of Article 14 and Article 16 of the Constitution of India. The bill will come into force as per government notification in the official gazette. Meanwhile, the House also passed the Nagaland Motor Vehicles One Time Taxation (3rd Amendment) Bill 2009.
