NVCO denounces deduction of a day’s wages for welfare fund

Dimapur, March 17 (EMN): The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers Organisation (NVCO) has denounced the deduction of a day’s wage of all the government employees for the the Chief Secretary’s Special Welfare Fund (CSSWF). Likewise, the group  denounced the appointment of parliamentary secretaries, advisors and chairmen.

This was stated in a press release issued by the NVCO’s press and media cell.

Speaking during a seminar that was held at Nagaland University (NU) on the theme “Know your rights” for non-teaching faculty of the Meriema campus on March 14, the NVCO’s president Kezhokhoto Savi termed the recent order of the state government to deduct a day’s salary to the CSSWF and appointment of said posts as ‘unconstitutional.’

Besides, Savi highlighted on several rights including consumer rights, human rights, national food security, public services delivery, food safety and standard, Lokayukta, Indian constitutional provisions protecting Christians, street vendors (Protection of Livelihood & Regulation of Street Vending), Article 371A of Indian Constitution, and Nagaland state consumer helpline toll free No. 1800-345-3701 and several other issues.

The NVCO member said that every human is entitled to the protection of his life, freedom and liberty, equality and dignity. He added that slavery, poverty, physical torture, destruction of property, killing, hunger, insurgency, sex exploitation, forced labour, child labour, commercial sex exploitation, illiteracy, etc. are against human rights.

Further, he said that the NVCO was serious on the acceleration of the violation of the Christians fundamental rights in the country such as persecution, violence, killing pastors, evangelists, missionaries, burning of churches and Bibles, rejecting the visa of top foreign Christian preacher, forceful conversion, denial of ration cards, expelled from village etc. He advocated that it is important to create more awareness on the fundamental rights of the Christian as a secular state and to voice against the persecution of Christian in the country.

Savi has urged the Naga Christians to be strong in prayers to uphold the as a secular state. He has urged the state government to implement the public services delivery system. He said that the NVCO opposes the deduction of one day salary imposed upon all employees for the CSWF. He was not contented with the clarification stated by the state government which claimed that CSWF was created in pursuance to the decision taken during the AHOHD/HODs meeting on February 19, 2016.

Savi mentioned that NVCO had in August 2017 urged the state governor to remove the 26 parliamentary secretaries and nine advisors as the Supreme Court of India has already declared the post of parliamentary secretaries as unconstitutional in its July 26, 2017. He argued that the total number of ministers including the chief minister has to be within 15 per cent of the total number of members of the legislative assembly of the state. Accordingly, the state of Nagaland can have only 12 ministers including chief minister.  He further stated that NVCO had demanded a strong Lokayukta.