Itanagar, Mar 14: The Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) participated in the two-day conference of the North Eastern States Government Employees Federation and Teachers United Forum (NESGETUF) held at Aizawl in Mizoram on March 12 and 13.
The CoSAAP delegation was led by its president Likha Tech and secretary general Leena Taggu, along with four executive members. The conference saw participation from various state government employees’ associations and federations from across the North Eastern region. Mizoram Rural Development Minister Lalyomamiva attended the event as the chief guest, while Subash Lamba, President, and A. Sreekumar, General Secretary of the All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF), were also present.
During the conference, Likha Tech urged the governments of all North Eastern states to scrap the New Pension System (NPS) and restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), stating that the existing system does not provide adequate economic and social security for employees who dedicate decades of service to the government.
He also called on the Government of India to implement the 8th Central Pay Commission in its true spirit with special provisions for employees of the North Eastern states, considering the region’s difficult terrain and geographical conditions.
Likha Tech further proposed that the North Eastern region be considered for Special Economic Zone status and stressed the importance of recognising the contribution of the people of the region to national development.
Expressing concern over incidents of racial discrimination faced by people from the North East in other parts of the country, he called for collective action to eliminate such practices and ensure respect, equality and dignity for all citizens.
The forum unanimously resolved to submit a joint representation to the Chairman of the 8th Central Pay Commission before April 30, participate in a proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on December 12, and demand immediate regularisation of contractual employees working under the governments of the North Eastern states.