STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati: The All Assam Government NPS Employees’ Association has raised serious constitutional and legal concerns regarding pension security, implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), and extension of the retirement age of college teachers in Assam.
Addressing the issue, Dr Jyotish Goswami, state spokesperson of the association, stated that Articles 14, 21 and 41 of the Constitution of India guarantee equality before law, the right to live with dignity and the state’s obligation to secure social and economic justice. He said these constitutional principles are directly applicable to the service conditions, promotional entitlements and post-retirement security of college teachers in the state.
The association pointed out that many college teachers have dedicated 25–30 years of their lives to teaching, research and academic development, contributing significantly to Assam’s literacy rate and gross enrolment ratio. However, due to delayed provincialisation and the late sanctioning of posts, several teachers could render only 10–15 years of formal government service before retirement.
Referring to the UGC Regulations governing the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), the association stated that CAS is a statutory, merit-based academic evaluation process conducted through Screening/Selection Committees constituted by the affiliating university, followed by approval of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) and processing through the Samarth e-Governance portal. There is no provision requiring a separate Cabinet approval after completion of this mechanism.
The association also highlighted that a large number of teachers from newly provincialised colleges have been excluded from the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) due to delayed provincialisation. It argued that the National Pension System (NPS) and the proposed Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) do not provide the same level of defined and guaranteed post-retirement security as OPS, thereby undermining the mandate of social justice under Article 41.
Further, the association demanded extension of the retirement age of all college teachers to 65 years, in alignment with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
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