Tripura's BJP government announces new recruitment policy
Agartala, May 19 : As per pre-poll promise, the BJP government in Tripura on Saturday announced new recruitment policy and annulled the earlier employment rules framed by the previous Left Front government, a senior minister said.
"The state government framed new recruitment policy for recruiting government employees in Tripura. The cabinet also cancelled the earlier employment policy framed by the previous Left Front government," Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath told the media after a cabinet meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who also holds the home portfolio and also the Chief of Bharatiya Janata Party Pradesh Committee.
Nath, accompanied by Agriculture and Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, said that the BJP framed the new recruitment policy because it wanted transparency and fairness.
"The earlier government while recruiting employees has done political favouritism, partiality and ignore the quality candidates. From now onwards, written examination would be done for recruiting employees for the the group "C" and group "D" posts. In some cases (ten per cent) interview would be taken for the technical posts. The entire interview process would also be videographed."
The minister said that to recruit government employees for the group "C" and group "D" posts a separate institution would be constituted and the existing Tripura Public Service Commission would be further strengthen for selecting best candidates for the required government posts.
He said that the cabinet also modified the existing pension system giving preferences to the parents of the expired employees.
Nath said the government would soon promulgate an ordinance to authorize Block Development Officers and Panchayat Secretaries to deal the financial matters as 50 per cent Gram Pradhan (panchayat chief) either resigned or not attending office after the BJP led government came to power on March 9.
The BJP government on Saturday also decided to enhance the salaries and allowances of the Judicial officers with effect from January 2016.
Opposition Congress while reacting to the new recruitment policy of the BJP government, has urged the government to give preferences to the politically victimised and overaged educated youths and to set up Staff Selection Commission like institution to recruit government employees.
"The BJP government should undertake a special drive to fill up those vacant posts reserved for the tribals and scheduled caste communities," state Congress Vice-President and former legislator Tapas Dey told the media.
Meanwhile, the BJP within five days after assuming office on March 9, had stopped the recruitment process except those initiated under the court's directions raising criticism from the opposition parties.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sri Lanka repatriates remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed in US torpedo strike
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lanka has repatriated the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who were killed when their frigate was sunk by a US submarine, an official said.
Last week on Wednesday, Sri Lanka said it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors after the US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Galle on the island’s southern coast.
The ship was returning to Iran from Visakhapatnam, India, where it had participated in a naval fleet review exercise.
"Human remains were sent by the Iranian embassy on Friday - all 84", a foreign ministry spokesman said.
They were sent on a chartered Turkish airliner, which departed on Friday, reporters present at the Mattala international airport in the southern district of Hambantota said.
The Chief Magistrate, Sameera Dodangoda, gave the order on March 11 to the Director of the National Hospital at Karapitiya to hand over 84 bodies of the sailors from Iris Dena to the Embassy of Iran.
Following the magistrate's court order, the arrangements were finalised.
The bodies were kept at the Karapitiya hospital in Galle along with 32 survivors who were warded as a result of the US torpedo attack on the ship on March 4.
The Sri Lankan government had earlier said they will be keeping the bodies until the situation would improve so as to repatriate them.
They were being kept under makeshift refrigeration as the hospital’s morgue capacity was found inadequate.
The 32 survivors had been discharged on Sunday and sent to the nearby Sri Lankan airbase at Koggala, Galle.
