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In the matter of payment of pension and other benefits to the retired employees of the state on the last working day of retiring Government employee, the standing order or the office memorandum of the Chief Secretary, Shri Jarnail Singh is fairly generous to the employees of the state Government. If it is translated into action as soon as possible, it will be beneficial for all the Govt. employees and more to those who are going to retire in the coming year.
If the young are those to whom we look for future strength and future good of the society, then the old are those to whom we should pay respect and attention because the old represents our past and our present cannot be separated from our past. But in our State, more specially in all the Government offices, those working in the office seem to have forgotten the past, looking at the manner they treat a retired Govt employee when the later seek for his pension and other benefits after superannuation.
In fact, reaching the retirement day is a day full of tender feelings of pity, nostalgia etc. High though his official status, a man on the day of retirement becomes small, lonely and desolate that when he returns his home from his office on the last day, he feels as if he is returning from a funeral of his near and dear ones.
After this day, an employee becomes isolated and days ahead of him or her are the days which requires solace, peace of mind and rest. This is the time when one becomes infirm and needs some help at hand for emotional and physical support.
It is true to the core that the pensioners in Manipur face a lot of hardship. First, in our State when an employee retires it takes more than one or two years to get the retirement benefits such as GPF final withdrawal, leave incasements etc.
When his/her monthly salary at this period of time has been stopped, most employee have nearly gone mad. The woes of the employee are compounded when he or she has to follow the course of his file movement (in most cases with some hundred rupee notes for smooth sailing) from Directorate to Secretariat, from section to Under Secretary from under.
Secretary to Deputy Secretary, from Deputy to Joint Secretary and from Joint Secretary to Secretary. If there is any slight mistake or confusion in the file, then the file fall down flat at the bottom and the same procedure is to be adopted again.
When at last his/her benefits are cleared and becomes a pensioner, then there begins a long journey and shuttle between the treasury office and bank. When the treasury office has done the clearance he/she has to stand in the long queue in front of the bank whether there is scorching sun or torrential rain.
It would be worth mentioned here that the recent step taken up by the Government regarding the photo identity card verification of the pensioners and compulsory opening of the accounts in the banks through which payment of the pension is a good step. This has remarkably lessened the grievances of the pensioners to a large extent.
So pensioners, and to these who are going to retire in the next few months let us remember the famous lines of P.B. Shelley “If winter comes, can spring be far behind”.
Golden days are ahead if the authorities are sincere enough to translate the office memorandum into order with some clause of penalty for violating the order by the officials concerned.
Here some points in the memorandum of the Chief Secretary which is highlighted here for the benefit and information to all.
- Heads of offices and Heads of departments should complete the verification of the service books of the employees by January 3,2008
- Rectification of any deficiencies in the pension/gratuity paper, GPF final withdrawal and encashment etc. will be looked after by a nodal officer of each department.
- The Heads of departments have to inform the employees 8 months before retirement about the list of papers they have to complete and submit it to the pension cell at least 7 months before retirement.
- The pension cell should not take more than three days to process the papers and modify if there is any need.
- The office of the AG should receive all the required papers 6 months before the retirement of the employee and final orders may be issued at least one month before the retirement of the Govt. employee.
- The pension gratuity, GPF final withdrawal and other entitlement of the retiring Govt. employee should be paid on the last working day of the employee.
To the employees of the central Government offices and for those serving in the Army, the above mentioned points is strictly followed at the time of supernuation or in voluntary retirement. On our side of the story, in our state even many on the street may wonder after knowing all these hiccups why after supernuation all state Govt. employee need to suffer unnecessarily.
The popular sentiment about the functioning of the heads of departments and secretaries in the secretariat regarding the movement of the files relating pension matters of the employees is largely negative. The cardinal mistake or ploy in the implementation of the already existing rule was that instead of implementing the laws and rules in toto at one stroke, the official negotiated each of the element of package in a highly inefficient and undersirable manner.
We should recognise and pay respect to the wisdom, productivity and other important contribution of the older persons during their days. In this respect, the order of the Chief secretary is like a boon, a heaven sent elixir for the state Govt. employees.
If one wish to get salvation by doing good works, (punya karma), our chief secretary, Shri Jarnail Singh has done a good work. All the Government employees of the state will never forget him for this good and soothing order. This is indeed a ray of hope for the pensioner and a ‘punya karma’ for Shri Jarnail Singh.
* Oinam Anand writes regularly for The Sangai Express. This article was webcasted on January 19th 2008.
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