Chandigarh, Nov. 29 – The din and noise kicked up over the decision of the Haryana Government to roll back the retirement age of government employees from 60 to 58 years is politically motivated, divorced from ground-level reality, and totally unwarranted.
Stating this here today, the Media Adviser of Haryana Chief Minister Mr Amit Arya said that the decision is not borne out of any ill-will against the employees. On the contrary, it is rooted in the BJP Government’s concern and earnestness to provide jobs to the jobless youths and open more promotional avenues for the staff, something which could not have been possible had the decision taken by the Congress Government not
been rolled back.
The Media Adviser said that in fact, it is a well thought-out move aimed at facilitating large-scale merit-based recruitment, spanning all departments in the near future. The hard reality that more than six lakh jobless youths
are registered with the employment exchanges in the state is not lost
on the government. Needless to emphasise, the BJP Government is
committed to employees’ welfare and wellbeing.
He said that the political decision to increase the retirement age from 58 to 60 years was taken by the Congress Government with the sole objective of
reaping electoral dividends in the Assembly elections, and, with the
intent of favouring some favourities. The argument that the government could have spared the state exchequer outgo of lot of money on account of retirement benefits by continuing with the increased age is specious and does not stand the test of facts. For, the government pays a newly-recruited employee only one-third of the salary paid to an employee nearing retirement.
Mr Amit Arya said that moreover, the Finance Department had already provided for the payment of dues to the staff due to retire. And this fact had been brought to the notice to the Cabinet meeting where it was decided to raise the retirement age. Interestingly, though ironically, even rules had not been amended by the Congress government to facilitate extension of the retirement age. It explains the tearing hurry of the previous government to realize politico-electoral gains than favour the employees.