Associations Protests For Various Demands At Dispur Last Gate

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: On the fourth day of the Summer Session of Assam Legislative Assembly, four associations staged their protests upholding various demands at Dispur Last Gate, here in the city, on Monday.

The Home Guards protest under the banner of All Assam Trained Home Guard Association (AATHGA) turned aggressive as they tried to break through the barricade. All over Assam, there are approximately 27 thousand trained Home Guards, engaged in various stations and organizations. The ones engaged in police stations receive monthly wage of Rs 9000, while those engaged in industrial sectors also receive a sorry figure of only Rs 9450 per month. The meager amount makes it impossible for these Home Guards to run their families. Their economic crunch is a burden that has rendered them helpless and the frustration was evident in the antagonistic protest staged outside Dispur Last Gate.

Both the government as well as the public is aware that starting from Assam Secretariat to most of the institutions and organizations, including the residence of the MLAs, ministers, the Home Guards are appointed everywhere. Despite all the public service rendered, they are unable to protect their own families from the financial woes they are made to endure owing to the scanty income.

“On March 9, 2018, the Association forwarded an application in eagerness to meet the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as well as the Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma and discuss about the economic situation of the Home Guards, however we never heard back from them”, said AATHGA President Ananta Das and General Secretary Kamakhya Das.

The Association submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister and initiated several demands. Amendment of Home Guard Act 1947 was demanded to suit the changes of the present times. They also demanded job permanency along with term increase from 55 to 60 years. They also urged that one time ex gratia and pension be secured, and the Home Guard Deployment Software System be shut down among other demands. Another team in favour of the Home Guards also protested outside Last Gate on Monday and submitted a memorandum.

Two other Associations also staged protests on the fourth day of the Session, which included the All Assam Mid-day Meal Workers Union and the Asom Sikshak Karmachari Aikya Mancha. The All Assam Mid-day Meal Workers Union voiced against the privatization of mid-day meals provision to be handed over to NGOs and demanded it to be scraped. The Union claimed that privatization of the scheme would render many of them jobless and as such, demanded for job security and a monthly wage of Rs 9600.

President of the Union Surjya Ram Kalita said, “There are 1 lakh 17 thousand mid-day meal workers all over Assam. Since 2005, these workers have been sincerely at work without payment. On 2010, Central Government announced a monthly payment of Rs 1000 towards the workers, out of which Rs 900 was granted by the Centre and Rs 100 by the State Government. Despite the alarmingly low remuneration and the years of free service rendered, the government wishes to snatch the work from the hands of these workers and offer it up to NGOs. This wil not be allowed to pass, moreover their jobs should be regularized and a monthly wage of Rs 9600 should be considered.”

The Asom Sikshak Karmachari Aikya Mancha also staged a protest and posed certain demands. To issue the order of appointment to the eligible incumbents expeditiously as per the Assam Education Act 2017, to amend the Act, to implement the BTC Education Bill 2017 and to sanction satisfactory grant to the teachers already retired from the Venture Educational Institutions without salary and to the families of the teachers expired during the service period.

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