ITANAGAR, Sep 15: The Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) has urged the All-India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF) to endorse and pursue a comprehensive package of special incentives, allowances and service-related benefits for government employees serving in Arunachal Pradesh and other Northeastern states before the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC).
The appeal was made during the two-day National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of AISGEF, held in Srinagar from September 12, with representatives of employees’ associations, federations and unions from 22 states participating.
CoSAAP president Likha Tech and secretary general Leena Taggu represented the organisation at the meeting and highlighted the geographical, administrative, socio-economic and service-related challenges faced by government employees in the Northeastern region.
The proposals were placed through the North Eastern States Government Employees and Teachers’ United Forum (NESGETUF), an initiative of CoSAAP, with the objective of ensuring that the region’s distinctive working conditions and hardships are reflected in the deliberations of the 8th CPC.
Representatives of employees’ organisations from Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Sikkim and Tripura reportedly extended support to the proposals.
Among its key demands, CoSAAP sought a substantial enhancement and extension of the Special Duty Allowance (SDA), with a proposed minimum rate of 20–25 per cent of basic pay for eligible state government employees serving in the Northeastern region. It also proposed a dedicated Border Area Allowance of 10–15 per cent of basic pay for employees posted in notified international-border areas, besides a separate Remote District/Hardship Allowance for those serving in highly inaccessible and difficult locations.
CoSAAP also urged AISGEF to pursue, as a priority, a field visit by the Chairperson and members of the 8th CPC to the Northeastern states, particularly remote, difficult and international-border areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
The organisation said such a visit would provide the Commission with a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by government employees, including difficult terrain, inadequate road, air and communication connectivity, high transportation costs, limited healthcare and educational facilities, shortage of specialised manpower, inadequate government accommodation, difficult climatic conditions and security sensitivities.
If visits to extremely remote areas were not feasible, CoSAAP requested that the Commission visit the capitals of all eight NE states and hold consultations with state governments, employees’ representative organisations and other stakeholders.
The organisation further proposed that eligibility for border and remote-area benefits be determined through objective and transparent criteria, including geographical remoteness, terrain, connectivity, distance from headquarters, availability of healthcare and educational facilities, climatic conditions and security considerations.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the NE region and its international boundaries with China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh, CoSAAP called for a comprehensive, location-specific incentive mechanism for employees serving in remote and strategically sensitive areas. It suggested that eligible districts, subdivisions, circles and other administrative areas be identified on the basis of official geographical and administrative criteria.
According to CoSAAP, the AISGEF NEC unanimously accepted its proposals and resolved to place and pursue the demands before the Government of India and the 8th CPC.
The organisation also sought AISGEF’s support for broader employee-related issues, including comprehensive pension reform, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and a minimum fitment factor of 3.25 or higher, as deemed appropriate by the 8th CPC. It separately urged the Federation to pursue the scrapping of the National Pension System (NPS) and restoration of the OPS.
CoSAAP maintained that the working conditions of employees in the Northeast, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, should be assessed through ground-level consultations rather than solely on the basis of statistical and documentary data.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the CoSAAP leadership also appealed to delegates to condemn all forms of racial discrimination and prejudice. It called for a collective stand against discrimination faced by people from the NE region and emphasised the need to uphold the dignity, equality and constitutional rights of every citizen.
CoSAAP welcomed the AISGEF resolution and expressed hope that the Federation would continue to pursue the demands in the larger interest of government employees in Arunachal Pradesh and the NE region.