|ITANAGAR, March 14| Pil Tayam
The Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) actively participated in the two-day conference of the North Eastern States Government Employees Federation and Teachers United Forum (NESGETUF) held at Aizawl, Mizoram on March 12 and 13, where key issues concerning government employees across the North East were deliberated.
The CoSAAP delegation was led by its President Likha Tech and Secretary General Leena Taggu, accompanied by four executive members. The conference brought together representatives of various state government employees’ associations and federations from across the eight North Eastern states.
Mizoram’s Rural Development Minister Lalrintluanga Lalymomiva attended the programme as the Chief Guest. Prominent leaders of the All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF), including President Subash Lamba and General Secretary A. Sreekumar, were also present at the event.
Addressing the gathering, CoSAAP President Likha Tech urged the governments of the North Eastern states to scrap the New Pension System (NPS) and restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), stating that the present pension system does not provide adequate economic and social security to government employees after retirement.
He further appealed to the Government of India to implement the 8th Central Pay Commission at the earliest, with special provisions for employees serving in the North Eastern region considering its unique geographical challenges and difficult terrain.
Tech also proposed that the region be considered for Special Economic Zone status to accelerate development and support government employees working in remote areas.
The conference also expressed serious concern over incidents of racial discrimination faced by people from the North East in mainland India and stressed the need for collective and coordinated efforts to address the issue.
During the deliberations, the forum unanimously resolved to submit a joint representation from all eight North Eastern states to the Chairman of the 8th Central Pay Commission before April 30, 2026.
The forum also announced that government employees from the North East would participate in a proposed nationwide rally scheduled to be held on December 12, 2026 at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi under the leadership of AISGEF, demanding timely implementation of the 8th Central Pay Commission.
Additionally, the conference demanded immediate regularization of contractual employees across the North Eastern states, highlighting the need to ensure job security and equitable service conditions for thousands of employees working on a contractual basis.
