MGSF, MSPU submit 16-point demands to CS, Governor
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 07 2025: Manipur Government Services Federation (MGSF) and Manipur State Pensioners' Union (MSPU) on Monday submitted a joint memorandum to the chief secretary and the Governor, raising a 16-point charter of demands concerning the long-pending issues besieging government employees and pensioners in the state.

Addressing the media at its Pishumthong office, MGSF president Laishram Sharat said the demands have been repeatedly placed before the government but remain unaddressed.

He said the issues range from disparity in Dearness Allowance (DA), pension arrears, anomalies in pay structures, to the broader demand for restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) .

The memorandum pointed out that despite the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission in the state, the DA and DR rates for state government employees and pensioners remain much lower than that of the Central government.

While Central employees currently enjoy 53 per cent DA, state employees receive only 32 per cent, a gap of 21 per cent.

"The enhancement of DA is not a pay hike in real terms, but a compensation against inflation," he said, adding that Manipur's DA rate is among the lowest in the country, despite the state suffering from one of the highest inflation rates.

The memorandum also deplored the government's failure to clear mounting pension arrears, prolonging the sufferings of thousands of pensioners and urged the government to expedite pending dues within a definite time frame.

Sharat further highlighted a large number of pending promotions and Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACP) benefits in various departments.

In a state where departments are bottom heavy, the MACP is the only hope for career progression for many, he noted and appealed to the government to process all pending promotion and MACP cases expeditiously.

Strong objections were also raised against the Nationalpension Scheme (NPS), which the MGSF maintains is inimical to the legitimate rights and interests of pensioners.

The federation called for complete restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, rejecting the Central government's recent Unified Pension Scheme.

The memorandum demanded a uniform pension system for retired employees of PSUs, corporations, and local bodies under the state government, citing immense post-retirement hardships.

It also raised anomaly issues post-7th Pay Commission, citing as example the disparity in pay between nurses working at JNIMS and those in other government health institutions.

The two bodies urged the government to address such anomalies to ensure fairness and improve service delivery.

The memorandum reiterated the earlier proposal to enhance the retirement age from 60 to 62 years, taking into account the state's financial stress, rising life expectancy, global trends, and backlog in recruitment.

The demand for issuance of pensioner identity cards was also placed again, calling it a matter of necessity and emotional satisfaction.

On promotion and deputation issues, Sharat rued the violations of service rules, especially in engineering departments, where higher posts are filled on in-charge basis ignoring seniority.

He said 90 per cent of pending cases in the High Court are service-related and added that the memorandum urged the government to issue a compendium of service rules and enforce them strictly.

The federation also flagged the irregular delegation of DDO powers and called for periodic change of DDOs to ensure fairness.

It further condemned the practice of service extension to select employees without proper justification, calling it demoralising for regular staff.

Raising alarm over the practice of contract appointments for regular posts, the memorandum urged the government to end the system and instead regularise all existing contract employees through proper procedures.

Sharat noted that nearly half of all sanctioned posts remain vacant and said such a depleted workforce severely impacts governance.

The memorandum demanded full activation of the Manipur Public Service Commission and Staff Selection Commission to recruit against all vacancies.

It also demanded equal pension for all doctors and veterinary doctors who retired during the period when the Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) was withdrawn between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2020 .

Lastly, the memorandum called for the establishment of a Police Recruitment Board to bring transparency and accountability in police recruitment, considering it is the largest government organisation in the state.

Sharat said the memorandum is a final call for the government to act in the interest of its employees and pensioners, warning that failure to act would only deepen the crisis in public administration.

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