Government employees across Manipur intensified their agitation today as the mass casual leave called by the Manipur State Pensioners Union (MSPU), Manipur Government Services Federation (MGSF) and Manipur Secretariat Services Association (MSSA) entered its final day, triggering protests and sit-in demonstrations in several districts.
The coordinated agitation, which has drawn participation from serving employees, pensioners, nurses, teachers and non-teaching staff, is aimed at pressing the government to address a series of long-pending demands that employee bodies say have been repeatedly ignored.
Among the key demands are enhancement of the retirement age from 60 to 62 years, release of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) at par with Central Government employees, restoration of second Saturday holidays, constitution of a State Pay Commission in line with the 8th Central Pay Commission, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) by scrapping the National Pension System (NPS) and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), discontinuation of post-retirement re-engagement, an end to contractual appointments against sanctioned posts, and regularisation of all contractual, casual and muster roll employees.
In a significant show of solidarity, the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), Manipur State Branch, the Association for All Non-Teaching Staff, JNIMS, and the Trained Nurses Association, JNIMS, staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the Medical Superintendent’s Office at JNIMS.
Addressing the gathering, TNAI Manipur State Branch General Secretary Sanjarani Loukrakpam urged the government to immediately respond to the demands raised by the employee organisations, stating that the issues directly affect the welfare, dignity and financial security of thousands of government employees and pensioners.
The agitation also witnessed active participation from pensioners, who organised a protest at Singjamei Chingamakhong, demanding that the government stop delaying decisions on issues affecting retired employees.
The movement spread beyond Imphal, with demonstrations held at District Hospital Senapati, District Hospital Kangpokpi and District Hospital Ukhrul under the banner of various TNAI units. Teachers of Kamjong Higher Secondary School, employees of the Sericulture Department and staff of the Sericulture Training Institute, Kwakta, also joined the mass casual leave agitation.
