JOINT
ACTION COMMITTEE OF STAFF ASSOCIATIONS(JAC)
Under
Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti
(All India Navodaya Vidyalaya Staff
Association,All India Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Principal’s forum, Navodaya
Vidyalaya samiti Employees Welfare Association, All India Navodaya Vidyalaya
Catering Assistants Association).
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya,…
Dist….. State.Pin …….
Ref.:.JAC/JNV/2012-13 Date: …/…./2013
To
Sri/Smt………………………..
Hon’ble Member of Parliament
………………………….. Constituency
………………………. State
Sub:- Implementation of GPF Cum Pension Scheme to the employees of
Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti joined
prior to 01/01/2004 ,request -reg
Respected Sir,
We have been appealing to the
Government of India for nearly two decades regarding the implementation of GOI
Pension Scheme for the employees of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti who joined the service before 1.1.2004. While 28 organizations under
Govt of India established after Navodaya Vidyalaya samiti came into existence
introduced or switched over from CPF to GPF cum Pension Scheme NVS employees
have been unreasonably ignored till date. Hence we cannot help divulging the
truth that the eligible staff of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti numbering around 17000 and their family
members are living in utter desperation,
uncertainty and anxiety as their future life is not secured by any economic
means.
In the recent negotiation
meeting held between the Govt of India representative and the representatives
of JAC of staff association a positive gesture has been shown by the
government. However at this crucial juncture as a people’s representative your support
in this respect would make the task easier and facilitate a favourable
governmental action.
Navodaya Vidyalaya staff are
contributing to the education of the poor talented rural children of our
country by devoting their entire service period within the walls of the school
campus by working for 18 hours a day while
being on duty practically round the clock. On account of the unique
co-educational-residential nature of the institution we are bound to be on duty
on Sundays and holidays,too.Thus we
forced to sacrifice the social and familial contacts. It is a pity that
after rendering such a valuable service to the nation’s development through
daily rigours we will be left high and
dry on retirement.
We are given to understand
that Government is obliged to provide
social and economic security to retired persons. Pension is every
retiree’s Fundamental right.The Senior
Citizen needs to be treated with dignity, courtesy befitting their age
especially after retiring from an institution like JNVs which strive hard for
the educational needs of the talented children of rural India. When the staff
of KVS,NIOS,Tibetan Schools,Sainik Schools etc enjoy GOI Pension it is
bewildering to know why NVS staff are discriminated despite strong
recommendations of high powered parliamentary standing committees and several
other factors.
it is an undeniable fact that
Pension is not a bounty nor a matter of
grace. It is not an ex-gratia payment,
but a payment for past service rendered. It is a social welfare measure
rendering Socio-economic justice to those who in the hey days of their life,
ceaselessly toiled for their employers on assurance that in their old age, they
would not be left in lurch. Pension is therefore deferred wages. Pension is the
statutory, inalienable and legally enforceable right and it had been earned by
the sweat of my brow during several years of service to the nation’s
downtrodden rural children.
The claim for GPF cum Pension
for the employees of Navodaya Vidyalayas
earn great significance due to the fact that they are the only
educational institutions with such special objectives like national integration
through the policy of migration, advanced technology aided education to rural children to eliminate
urban rural disparity in providing opportunity for education, all-round
development of children,pace setting centres of excellence etc.
The justifications we enlist
hereinafter irrefutably corroborate that there is no reason to deny our demand
for GPF cum Pension
1.
The
Government of India has extended the pay structure and other service conditions
to the employees of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti at par with other central Government employees. Navodaya
Vidyalaya Samiti has also adopted mutantis-mutandis; Government India rules and
regulation on service matters for its employees. This decision of the Executive
Committee had been notified to all concerned vide No. F.6/1/92-NVS(Admn.) dated
30.03.1992 and accordingly NVS is following all Govt. of India Rules with
regard to service conditions of its employees.
2.
All
Pay Commission recommendations and govt.rules and regulations are relevant to
NVS staff at par with other Central Govt employees.Hence application of pension
rules(1972) too.
3.
Navodaya
Vidyalaya Samiti had introduced contributory pension scheme during 1991 without allowing the employees to opt for
GOI Pension. CPF is applicable to
persons appointed on contract for a specified period, re-employed employees
after retirement and those serving in scientific and technical organisation who
enter service at a higher age and not for regular employees.
4.
Introduction
of New Pension Scheme is against the Policy of Pension as NPS
cannot be introduced without substituting an existing Pension Scheme. As
NVS does not have CCS pension introduction of NPS by substitution is against
the established rules.
5.
The
parliamentary standing Committees 154,184
and 198 have strongly recommended the introduction of GOI Pension to employees of NVS and
recorded its surprise and vehemence in discriminating NVS staff while staff of
similar organisations with less credentials as INVs like KVS,NIOS,Central Tibetan Schools etc have been
granted GOI Pension scheme.
6.
Expert
Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Shri.Y.N. Chaturvedi in June 2001 also recommended implementation of
GOI Pension to NVS staff considering the national importance of the job the
employees discharge.
7.
It
is to be emphasized that Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti has been achieving excellent scholastic and
non-scholastic achievements which is unparallel in the annals of the Indian
education systems,More over JNVs act as pace setting institutions for the
uplift of rural schools of every district.
8.
IIT
Kharagpur andIIT Bombay gave an option to all its employees to change over from
CPF/CPG to GPC cum Pension cum Gratuity Scheme.NIT Kurukshetra has also been
given GOI pension very recently,prior to which 5 departments of Inter
University Councils including NAAC and Punjab University have also been given
GOI pension scheme.Similar option can be given to NVS on account of the unque
nature of these institutions.
9.
Vide
letter no.C-33011/10/81-vig. Dated May 19,1981 from Sri .M R Kolhatkar Joint
Secretary, Ministry of Education
& Culture had urged NVS alongwith all heads of Autonomous Organisations under
Ministry of Education & Culture introduce
provisions of the CCS(Pension)Rules 1972
in line with the Central Vigilance Commissions observation in order to curb corruption
and prosecute corrupt employees after retirement.The same was reminded several
times by CVO,MHRD with a request to introduce GOI pension in NVS by August
31,1995.
10. In the meetings held
on 21st June and 15th November 2000 under the
Chairmanship of Secretary (SE & HE) regarding extension of Pensionary
benefits to the staff of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti & new IIT and IIMS NVS
has been directed to implement GOI Pension to its employees.
11. The National Policy
on education 1986 which engendered the
establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for educational progress of rural
poor and promotion of three languale policy assures the eligibility of
retirement benefits like GOI pension Scheme .
12. Since the Samiti has been provided 100% fund in
form of grant-in-aid by the ministry of HRD
the employees are eligible for pensionary benefits which are normally
applicable to similar categories of employees in autonomous organisations of Government
of India
13. It is submitted that the
first two JNV’s were opened at Jhajjar and Amravati during 1985-86. Posts were
sanctioned for the aforesaid schools by the Government on 28.10.1985. First
instalment of Grant in Aid of Rs. 22.50 lakhs for meeting expenditure for these
schools was also released by the Government on 28.10.1985. Thus, the posts for
the JNV’s were also existing prior to 01.01.1986. In view of this fact, it is
submitted that employees of JNV’s were covered under the provisions of the
Office Memorandum dated 01.05.1987.
14. It is important to
mention that as per DO letter No 11-35 dated 12.05.2010 addressed to Joint
Secretary(SE&L)Ministry of HRD NVS had appointed an actuary to calculate
the pension liability of employees who have joined NVS before 1.1.2004.As per
the report NVS already has an accumulated fund of Rs. 249.89 crores from
employer’s share which can be utilized
for providing GPF cum Pension Scheme by the addition of fund as per the
scenarios worked out by the actuary(ie, government provides for funding of Rs.105
cr for the next 15 years, Rs.80 cr.for
27 years and Rs.40Cr.on 28th year or the govt will meet the pension
liabilities after 13 years.)
Sir, the employees of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti have
represented the matter of implementation of GPF cum pension scheme to the government
several times during the past decades. It is matter of grave concern to the
employees and their families numbering not less than one lakh which can hardly
be left unnoticed. The staff of NVS especially teachers who spend their whole
life time educating the poor talented children of remote rural villages of our
country is not less an important task than soldiers guarding our boarders.
Since the nation’s development largely depends on the devoted and selfless work
of the teachers the government cannot hold back in ensuring their social and
economic security and help them to live with decency and dignity respecting
their valuable work during the service period.
Hence we request your kind self to highlight our issue in
the parliament taking into confidence fellow parliamentarians to whom similar
representations have been submitted by NVS staff all over India and save our
lives by persuading the Government to implement GPF cum Pension scheme to the
employees of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti who have joined service before
01.01.2004.We shall be ever indebted to your great service to us who devote our
lives to empower poor rural children.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,