Editor,
Pensioners after retirement are entirely dependent on the monthly pension to meet their bread and butter needs and other basic necessities of life. Since the MeECL Management has held up the Pension for the last two months (i.e Oct. & Nov. 2020), the pensioners and family pension holders are facing financial hardship and are on the brink of starvation. They are now in a dilemma on how to manage their lives. Being aged senior citizens, it is practically impossible to start looking for a job elsewhere nor to carry out any business activities for survival.
All employees who joined the erstwhile ASEB, MeSEB and are now under MeECL are pensionable as per the pension rules and the law whereas those who joined service on or after April 1, 2010 are entitled under the new defined Contribution Scheme (NPS). From the very inception of the Board (ASEB) during the 1950s pensioners and working employees never experienced such crisis as they are doing now insofar as release of monthly pension and salary is concerned.
The aggrieved pensioners through the MeECL Pensioners Association have time and again approached and earnestly appealed to the MeECL Management for releasing their pension. But it seems there is no sign of hope yet. The Management may please note that payment of monthly pension and terminal benefits is the legitimate and legal right of the retirees. Therefore, being a matter of life and death the pensioners are in dilemma on what to do next to realize the monthly pension and retirement benefits.
However as an Adviser to the recognized and registered Association, I earnestly implore upon the MeECL Management, the Power Minister and the Chief Minister to explore all ways and means to clear at least the monthly pension in order to rescue us from the impending peril of starvation.
Yours etc.,
B.S. Mawlong
Adviser, MeECL Pensioner Association Shillong
Via email
Farmers imperiled
Editor,
Apropos the article by Patricia Mukhim, “Signs of a failed state,”(ST Dec 11, 2020) I was interested to know that the farm products of Meghalaya are short-sold to avaricious middle-men at less than the production cost for farmers. There is something very wrong in the Agricultural Policy of the State Government if as the writer says, there is no minimum support price (MSP) for crops that are produced for the market and for exports. I recall reading the statement of the Agriculture Minister some weeks ago when he was asked to comments on the Farm Bills enacted by the NDA Government. The minister said it would have no impact on Meghalaya farmers since there are no mandis (government procurement institutions which buy farm products at wholesale rates and sells them onwards to retailers). In one sense the farmers in Meghalaya are free to sell their products to the highest bidder which is what Government of India wanted to introduce through the recently enacted Farm Acts. Unfortunately, in Meghalaya the farmers are often forced to sell their products to the lowest bidder and there are no safety nets for them. It is a buyers’ market and the seller is at a serious disadvantage. Hence the Agriculture Minister should understand this and be informed that the farmers in Meghalaya are very often pushed into situations of distress sales.
We have heard the word “cold storage” for a long time in Meghalaya but I am not aware if any of them exist or were every created. Cold storages are meant to store the farmers’ crops until he/she can get a good price for them because if every farmers decides to sell ginger at one time there will naturally be a glut in the market and the prize will dip even while the wholesale buyer enjoys a bonus while the poor farmer is in distress. I also wonder what the Farmers’ unions of the various political parties are faring and why they are quiet about a crisis that the farming community faces year after year.
In Meghalaya we have become adept at chasing an urban mirage. All issues are urban centric while issues that affect nearly 80 percent of the rural population are glossed over. As the writer says, no public representative cares about the plight of farmers because they are not organised and do not vote en-bloc. Until an issue begins to hurt politicians they will not respond to it. It’s time the farmers’ unite themselves into a formidable force. But who will lead them?
Yours etc.,
Artimai Dunai,
Via email
Letting the Covid guard down
Editor,
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma tweeted on Friday that he has tested Covid positive. Covid knows no boundaries and anyone is susceptible to it hence we cannot let our guard down. More aggressive testing is required so that we know exactly how we are faring as a state. If we don’t test we won’t know whether we are asymptomatic carriers and could be spreading the virus to unsuspecting acquaintances or at public spaces. It is true that free testing is no longer a viable proposition for any state. Hence those that can afford to pay for the test should do so. The Government should get the names of those that cannot afford to pay, from the respective Dorbar Shnong and see that they are provided free testing. Now that winter has arrived we are told to be aware that Covid cases might just go up. This is a frightening scenario knowing how under-prepared we are even today to deal with large number of cases because the hospital beds have not been sufficiently added and nor have makeshift Covid hospitals come up. We really need to be individually responsible in preventing the spread of Covid.
Meanwhile we wish the Chief Minister a speedy recovery and pray that he is back on his feet soon!
Yours etc.,
RV Sohtun,
Via email
