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A banner placed outside the Directorate of Social Welfare during the sit-in protest in Kohima on Tuesday.[/caption]
KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 27 : Around 150 supervisors under Social Welfare Department Nagaland today staged non-violent sit-in protest at the Directorate of Social Welfare, Kohima against the alleged failure of the State Government to keep its commitment to amend service rules of the department.
Supervisors from all the districts of the State under the aegis of All Nagaland Social Welfare Field Staff Employees Association (ANSWFSEA) came together here to demand amendment of the existing service rules, which they say have many loopholes.
However, ANSWFSEA president Benjamin informed that the agitation has been suspended for now following assurance from the Chief Minister’s Office that their demand will be taken up for approval in the next Cabinet sitting.
Benjamin said the assurance was given by the Chief Minister through Social Welfare Minister, Director and Secretary of the department during a meeting with him.
The agitators held placards and banners some of which read “20 years and counting, where is the service rules”, “Promote our promotion”, “The administration of justice is the foremost pillar of government”, “Why should the free of few outweigh the rights of many”, “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; but when the government fears the people, there is liberty” etc.
Briefing mediapersons, the Association president, Benjamin, and general secretary, Chotangse Anar, rued that the department’s supervisors despite being directly recruited through NPSC were deprived of timely promotion and career progression even after rendering more than 20 years of continuous service.
They expressed fear that if the present trend continued, many of the supervisors despite being recruited directly through NPSC may have to retire without any promotion. In this regard, the Association is said to have submitted several applications and proposals to the government for remedial measures, but without any outcome.
On the other hand, the association has alleged that political manipulations and other malpractices is bringing about abnormal stagnancy.
They also alleged that ministers, parliamentary secretaries and senior bureaucrats in charge of the department were directly appointing their own children to the post of Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) on contract basis.
Informing that the State has 60 sanctioned posts of CDPO, they disclosed that presently there are 63 CDPOs, including three illegally appointed ones.
Besides several cases of backdoor appointments, the association has also alleged that the present Nagaland Minister of Social Welfare Department and then Secretary of the Department T Kiheto Sema illegally appointed their own sons as CDPOs in April and May 2013. Further, they are working to regularize their services, the Association leaders stated.
Such “illegal appointments” have resulted in stagnancy of over 150 supervisors throughout the State with some of them serving for 25 years without any promotion, added the association leaders.
Earlier, the Association has cautioned to resort to hunger strike and picketing of Directorate of Social Welfare till their demands are fulfilled.
