Minister issues punitive action threat
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 04 2013 :
Dismissing the 48-hour general strike call by All Manipur GP Level and Lamps Development Association as unjustifiable, Coopera- tion Minister AK Mirabai Devi appropriate punitive action would be initiated against bank employees found derelicting duty.
Terming the Association's agitation call to protest non-appointment of Chief Executive Officer of Manipur State Cooperative Bank as unreasonable, the Minister instructed all bank employees to report for normal duty at 10 am tomorrow in order to avoid punitive action.
Speaking to newspersons at her New Secretariat office chamber today, Mirabai informed that candidate for the MSCB's CEO should comply with the RBI's criteria of not above 55 years of age as well as 'fit and proper' .
Even after issuing advertisements thrice no candidates fulfilling the criteria applied for the said post of CEO consequently resulting in the screening as well as State Level Implementation committees deliberating on the matter several times, she informed adding that issue is being discussed at the level of the Chief Minister.
Affirming that there is no question about the Government delaying the CEO's appointment, Minister Mirabai also clarified that non sanctioning of the bank as well as Societies' allocation amounting to Rs 41.62 crore has nothing to do with the CEO's post remaining vacant.
State's mandatory share has already been deposited in the bank, she maintained.
Conveying that the bank's package share of Rs 41 lakh from the Central Government has been ceased by the Union Finance Ministry since june 2011 as part of the Ministry's country-wide reforms, Minister also claimed that in response to official intimation the Finance Ministry conveyed that release of the pending allocation might be possible only after the financial condition improves.
Conceding that going ahead with the general strike will be detrimental to the State's economy besides causing inconveniences to the customers, she appealed to the Association to call off the agitation programme in the interest of the general public.
In case the Government's humble appeal do not evoke positive response or the bank employees fail to report for duty citing the strike call there will be no other option but to initiate appropriate punitive action, she cautioned.