Guwahati, Dec 29: A crucial state executive meeting of the National Movement for Old Pension Scheme, Assam state chapter was held at the Sukafa Conference Hall of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Sivasagar on December 26 last.
The meeting was hosted to revaluate the two-year terms of the Assam State committee of NMPPS.
The programme began with lighting of lamp and garlanding the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution which was led by vice president of the state committee and delegate from Karimganj, Ashok Chakraborty followed by rendering of the national song.
State committee’s general secretary Bhabananda Bora laid down the objective of the meeting at the very outset. The meeting was presided over by acting working president of the state committee Abdul Malik.
Apart from the central executive members, the meeting was attended by presidents and secretaries of all district committees.
The meeting unanimously advocated reviving the old pension scheme during its prolonged deliberation.
During the course of the deliberation, positive suggestions in favour of the move were offered by committee’s vice-president Tridip Hazarika, secretaries Jawaharjyoti Changkakoti, Abu Taher Mandal, Mukul Das; state media secretary Bhaskarjyoti Das, organizational secretary Manashi Baruah and Ajit Barman apart from representatives from various district committees like Satyendranath Pamegam, Kasem Ali, Pabitra Bora, Sunjit Saikia, Pabitra Das, Uttam Hazarika, Harihar Bora, Anil Dutta, Lalit Rajkhowa, Murshid Arfin, Sahanur Ahmed and several others.
Addressing the meeting, advisor of the committee and the founder president Gautam Bora and working President Jitu Dutta who attended the meeting despite his ill-health said that the state committee that has launched the crusade against the new pension scheme should take the movement to the national level and also offered several valuable suggestions in this regard.
Several decisions were taken at the meeting to carry forward the movement and make it heard for revival of the old pension scheme.
These include all-out support to the agitation programmes to be undertaken by the All India LP School Teachers’ Association; to observe February 1 as ‘Betrayal Day’ which was imposed on the state employees as the NPS execution date in 2005 and to wear black badge on that day; to hold the general body convention on February 12 next at Kokrajhar; to again pursue with the state government to reconsider the NPS within the month of January next and to raise the issue in the next budget session of the state Assembly among others.
The meeting also decided to extend all-out support to all the movements going on against imposition of NPS and to reinstate the old pension scheme.
The committee in the meeting urged all employees that come under NPS and other parties and organizations to extend their support to the movement to reinstate the old pension scheme.