All Tribal Rights Protection Forum Manipur and All Retired Employees Welfare Association Manipur on Thursday expressed its gratitude to the present government of Manipur for implementing service pension scheme for the Autonomous District Council Employees.

Addressing media at its  Nagaram office in Imphal,  president of All Tribal Rights Protection Forum Manipur, Joseph Rongmei informed that the previous government could not implement the said pension scheme for more than 15 years and had kept it in abeyance. 

However the present state cabinet in its meeting held on December 4 last year approved the proposal to implement the Pension Scheme to Six Autonomous District Councils such as the Churachandpur, Chandel, Senapati, Sadar Hills, Tamenglong and Ukhrul Autonomous Districts Councils, he added.

Joseph further informed that  the state gazette notification on February 4 this year mentioned that , “the Governor of Manipur is pleased to order to create a separate pension cell along with the engagement of manpower at the Directorate of tribal Affairs & Hills, Manipur under the administrative control of the Director, Tribal Affairs & Hills, Manipur with immediate effect”.

President of All Retired Employees Welfare Association Manipur, Dikhonang Pamei also expressed his gratitude to the chief minister, minister of Tribal affairs & hills and other concerned officials of the state government for fulfilling the demands of the association.

A release by All Tribal Rights Protection Forum Manipur forum stated that the government of Manipur had framed Rules under Section 51(2) (vi) of the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971, for giving service pension in respect of ADC employees and a notification had been issued by the Commissioner (Hills), government of Manipur to that effect vide notification dated July 18, 1991, bearing No. CHA/79/83-Pt which was published in Manipur Gazette on July 18, 1991. The said rules were to come into force on the first day of July 1991. However, the state government at that time could not implement the same.

Again the same rules was notified by the principal secretary to the government of Manipur on August 29, 2006 which was deemed to have come into force on  February 28, 2006, vide notification No. CHA/79/83-Pt. But the state government was reluctant to implement the said rules in spite of repeated approach and requests by ex-employees, employees and civil organisations.

The governor of Manipur further amended the Scheme for payment of pensions to the employees of district councils of Autonomous Districts of Manipur issued under the notification number, dated 22/08/2006. A notification dated January 8, 2007, to that effect was issued by commissioner (finance) government of Manipur and published in the Manipur gazette on January 30, 2007.

It is clearly mentioned at item No. 1.7 under para 2 of the said notification that the government has decided to provide fund under demand No.14- Development of Tribal and Scheduled castes to meet the expenditure on account of payment of pension/ family pension, gratuity, other retirement benefits etc. as per the Manipur Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 1977 to the district council officials and staffs. The scheme would take effect from February 28 2006 as per the Notification.

The fund for Pension to Employees of Autonomous District Councils has been included in the State Budget under demand No. 14 of the Tribal Affairs and Hills department, the government of Manipur since 2007-08 of which Rs. 193.81 lakhs was earmarked. The fund for the pension of ADC employees is also reflected in the budget 2018-19 with Rs 247.81 lakhs till 2018-19, which shows that the funds for pension in respect of employees of Autonomous District Councils have been reflected in the state Budget from the financial year 2007-08 till 2018-19.