Of Law-makers' Pension

Though I had negotiated and meandered along a dozen state and central government service portals with varying stints in water sector, power sector, oil sector, transport & communication (roads and bridges, railways, inland water transport, ropeways and civil aviation) sector and also in education sector as a guest faculty to teach postgraduate engineering students, I was never tired of my job as an engineer even as I had to finally close the governmental service account (on superannuation) on January 31, 2014.

As far as my sojourn in the government service sector is concerned, I began my career as an assistant engineer in 1977 after being selected by APSC. Having seen no career prospects due to inadequacies in the system, I was looking for other appropriate avenues to serve my state. Accordingly, on being selected through interviews by Dholpur House (UPSC) thrice, I had taken up four deputation assignments as deputy director/executive engineer in three different departments under the Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Nevertheless, I am superannuated person by now who is in receipt of a provisional pension for about six years since February 1, 2014. Given that I am not tired at all to retire, I have been rendering my expert services to the state for an ADB project in water sector and also for an upcoming World Bank project in IWT sector, besides rendering services to the state by active participation in different engineering forum portals from day one of my so-called retirement that warrants a pension for me for rendering service to the state vis-à-vis nation for four decades.

The foregoing appraisal is not for nothing but to supplement the food for attending the emerging queries that float around some cases concerning lawmakers who are entitled for a pension for serving the people for five years. As viewed in some WhatsApp portals maintained by a few galaxies of retirees in the country, a school is seen asking whether a past law maker who is in receipt of a pension will continue to enjoy it if he or she is rejected by the voters in the subsequent election(s). One may like to make a rejoinder to this write up if it is in the know of his or hers merely to quench the said very thirst of the school referred to.

Niranjan Kakati,

Guwahati-20.