Ministerial officers to go for stir

By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, March 25: The All Assam Heads of the Department Ministerial Officers’ Association  (AAHDMOA) has announced that it is going to start a democratic agitation from April 1, 2017 in protest against, what it said, the State government’s indifference towards their demands. The AAHDMOA is not at all satisfied with the grade pay fixed and made effective for them in the Assam Service (Revision of Pay) Rules, 2017. The heads of department ministerial officers demanded of the government to bring changes in their grade pay by March 31, 2017. However, the State Government is yet to respond to the demand, and that made the association to go for a democratic agitation from April 1 this year. According to Association president Guram Gogoi and general secretary Achyutanda Hazarika, they have all along been demanding parity in pay for employees of the same rank doing the same sort of works. “However, still a vast difference in the grade pays of the Secretariat officers and that of the heads of department ministerial officers. This is not all. The scope of promotion for the heads of department ministerial officers is too limited. The Chief Secretary has been made known to this many a time, but to no avail. Official quarters for heads of department ministerial officers are almost nil. In such a situation,  getting a house on rent at Rs 1,200-2,000 is impossible. Strangely enough, house rent allowance has been hiked by only Rs 50-60,” they said.