Editor,
North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) was established in 1973 by an Act (24 of 1973) of Parliament. NEHU is the oldest central autonomous academic institution in North-east India. During the last 44 years NEHU has contributed a lot in meeting its objectives i.e. towards the intellectual, academic and cultural advancement of people of hill areas of the North-Eastern region. NEHU employees (teaching and non-teaching) are given an incentive named as Hill Areas Special Allowance (HASA) for the last 22 years because of a Statutory provision provided in the Act, Statutes and Ordinances of the University. It important to remember that once a Law in the form a Statutory provision is enacted, it becomes the moral duty of everyone in the University system to respect and follow it in totality. However, MHRD/UGC has been pressurizing University through different letters starting from 2009 to stop the payment of HASA because SDA is being paid to the NE employees including NEHU during 6th Pay Commission. This contention of MHRD/UGC is totally baseless and unjustified, because the payment of HASA is as per the Statutory provision cum Law of the University which came into implementation because of the concurrence of MHRD itself as well as Visitor (Honorable President of India) of NEHU. It is not linked with 6th Pay Commission, just as it was not linked with 5th Pay Commission, but it is over and above the pay structures announced by the Pay Commission . Also, there is enough evidence that other allowances can be paid in addition to SDA. A news item ”Prez annuls his own order on HASA,” published by a national daily newspaper dated 29-3-2017′ which was quoted recently by your esteemed daily is totally baseless and incorrect news report.
In various communications during these years, MHRD/UGC has been accusing NEHU/NEHU employees drawing HASA as unauthorized, improper, irregular, wrong inadmissible, not permissible payment etc. The recent letter dated April 3, 2017 from MHRD to the Vice Chancellor is another attempt to stop the payment of HASA to NEHU employees. In the letter they have accused NEHU by terming HASA payment as unauthorized, irregular and improper on the basis of the background which is not correct. It seems that the Visitor was misled by the MHRD. Interestingly, the members of the Visitorial inquiry committee referred in the said letter were from MHRD and UGC itself thereby indicating a lapse in the very principle of an inquiry. On the mention of parity etc it may be important to emphasize that HASA is an incentive specific to NEHU and incentives/allowances may not be same in different institutions of same category like HRA etc. We as the employees including the Vice Chancellor of NEHU should seriously analyze: are we getting HASA as unauthorized, improper, irregular, wrong, inadmissible payment ? Should we bow down to the indirect pressure of MHRD/UGC which is withholding some grant from the non-salary component of the NEHU annual budget which gets its approval from the Parliament, because we are being given HASA? Should we not take this matter of withholding the grant to higher offices of the Govt of India ? Sometimes NEHU employees are labeled as being ‘interested’ in money (HASA) only. This is not correct. In fact it is the MHRD which is after money as the amount to be paid towards HASA in 7th central pay commission may increase, so they want to stop it before its implementation. At this juncture we have to stand to maintain the Law, Principle and Dignity of NEHU as our Vice Chancellors (Late) Dr. B.D. Sharma, (Late) Prof. B. Pakem and NEHU employees did in the past. NEHU should not be used as a ‘scapegoat’.
Let us see what is hidden in future ?
Yours etc.,
SB Prasad
North-Eastern Hill University
Shillong-22
