FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Stating that there were human rights violations, the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has recommended that the Goa government extend the benefits of the Seventh Central Pay Commission to 27 pensioners of the Institute of Public Assistance (Provedoria), who all retired from service prior to November 1, 2018.
The three-member Commission comprising Chairman Justice U V Bakre and Members Judge Desmond D’Costa and Judge Pramod Kamat held that since the government had extended the benefit of the Seventh Pay Commission to the retired employees of the Provedoria, who retired after November 1, 2018, it amounted to a violation of human rights of the complainant and other 26 aggrieved pensioners, who retired prior to November 1, 2018, and that they were not given the same benefits as those employees of the Provedoria, who retired after November 1, 2018.
Provedoria retired assistant engineer Pundalik Rao and 26 other pensioners in their complaint stated that they retired prior to November 1, 2018, and were not paid pension as per the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations while the employees, who retired after November 1, 2018, were being paid pension as per the Seventh Pay Commission.
The complainants stated that they had addressed their grievances to the Director of Provedoria and the Chief Minister with a reminder but did not receive any communication and the pension was not revised to date.
Arguing on behalf of the complainant, Adv C Angle said that the denial of revised pensionary benefits in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission to the complainant and other pensioners, who retired prior to January 1, 2016, had resulted in the human rights violation of the complainant and other pensioners.
He relied on several judgments of the Supreme Court in support of his submissions.
The Director of Provedoria in his reply stated that the government had not considered the proposal for the implementation of the Seventh Pay Scales to the pensioners. He further said that the file pertaining to the implementation of Seventh Pay to the pensioners was pending with the Finance (DMU) section and the matter is sub-judice.
However, the Commission found that the respondent had admitted in his reply that the file pertaining to the implementation of the Seventh Pay scales to the pensioners had been processed and the same was pending with Finance (DMU) section.
The Commission stated that a copy of the inquiry report is sent to the respondent calling for its comments including the action taken or proposed to be taken within 50 days or on or before October 11, 2022, in terms of Section 18 (e) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
