Port Blair, Aug 01: The Andaman and Nicobar Gazetted Officers’ Association has demanded immediate release of the withheld salary of Officers and other government servants of the Education Department.
In a letter sent to the Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Gazetted Officers’ Association said that the monthly salary of a large number of Officers working under the Education Department has been withheld by the Pay & Accounts Offices throughout the islands reportedly on some directions issued by the Administration as a punishment for not completing the task of seeding of Aadhar numbers of students studying in their schools/ jurisdiction with the bank accounts of the students.
Shri Ayyappan drew the attention of the Chief Secretary to rule 64 of the Central Govt. Account (Receipts & Payments) Rules, 1983 under which the pay and allowances of the government servants under the central government shall be paid on the last working day of the month. He has informed the Chief Secretary that withholding of the duty wages of a government servant without any fault on the part of such government servant is denial of natural justice and infringement of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
As regards non-completion of the work of seeding of Aadhar numbers with bank accounts of students, Shri D. Ayyappan informed the Chief Secretary that various agencies are involved in this task and officers and teachers of the Education Department alone should not be blamed. He cited the example of Diglipur where both the machines for Aadhar enrolment are out of order and sent to Port Blair for repair.
He told the Chief Secretary that as per the information received by the Association, the left-out students are those students who are residing at the interior areas of North and Middle Andaman and far flung islands of Nicobars District who do not attend the schools regularly and their parents do not show much seriousness to get their children enrolled in the Aadhar.
The Association informed the Chief Secretary that despite such situation, officers of the Education Department especially those posted in the rural areas are making all out efforts to complete the Aadhar enrolment and seeding with bank accounts of remaining students. The Chief Secretary was further informed that in an insensitive manner, salary of a number of newly joined Heads of Institutions has also been withheld.
Shri D. Ayyappan told the Chief Secretary that if the payment of monthly salary is linked with the achievement of target, no officer in the hierarchy will get his/her salary on the last working day of the month. The Association is of the strong view that payment of monthly salary of any category of government servants should not be linked with the achievement of any set target.
