RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.8: The Jharkhand government’s action does not match its intention of giving proper respect to those agitating for a Jharkhand separate state.
This was reflected in the inordinate delay in the gazette notification of the agitators’ list. If the information given by the home department staff is anything to be, since the constitution of the commission for identification of ‘Jharkhand Andolankari’ in 2012, not a single name has been sent to the government press for the gazette notification though as many as 8000 agitators and their dependants have been identified across the state during the last 11 years.
Prabhakar, who had been identified as a Jharkhand Andolankari in 2021, confirmed the situation saying due to delay in the gazette notification, a proper system has not been developed for pension payment and proper recognition.
“The Hemant Soren government has provided Rs 5000 per month for those who remained in jail during agitation for three months or more and for those who remained in jail for less than three months the pension provision is Rs 3500 per month. For those, who were never sent to jail, there is a provision of certificates for them. Payment of pension depends on the contacts of Jharkhand Andolankaris with government officials. If they contact officials they get; if they do not do so they do not get. Once a proper gazette notification is done the entire government machinery will be able to identify Jharkhand Andolankaris and ensure proper respect for them. It will also be convenient to plan budgetary allocation and develop a proper system for pension payment,” he said.
“Publishing information in the Gazette is a legal necessity by which official documents come into force and enter the public domain,” he added.
Home secretary Avinash Kumar did not take call for his comment on the matter. Whatsapp messages to him also remained un-responded. Department joint secretary and nodal officer to look into these matters Poonam Prabha Tirkey admitted the delay citing staff crunch as reason.
“We have only one staff for the work. I have asked the establishment to provide additional work force for this work. Work will be done soon,” Tirkey said.
Recently on July 26, the government approved a proposal to notify names of 413 persons identified so far as ‘Jharkhand Andolakaris’ and directed the Home, Jail and Disaster Management department to continue the work of identification till agitators who were involved in the last line of the movement are identified.
The identified agitators include 20 from Bokaro, 132 from Deoghar, 12 from Dhanbad, 43 from Giridih, 19 from Godda, 33 from Gumla, 23 from Hazaribagh, 13 from Koderma, 02 from Latehar, 29 from Lohardaga, 08 from Ramgarh, 47 from Ranchi. , 10 agitators from Sahibganj and 22 from Seraikela are involved.
Since the formation of the government, the CM has been serious about giving respect to those who struggled for formation of Jharkhand as a separate state. This is the reason he reconstituted the commission constituted for identification of those agitated for Jharkhand.
The CM had earlier also approved the proposal to give benefits to the dependents of five agitators identified after their death. He earlier also approved the 13th confirmed list received from the Jharkhand/Vananchal and JP Andalonkari Chinhitkaran Aayog.
The clear instruction of the CM is that the eligible agitators who were involved in the last line of the movement should be given benefits but action is matching the statement.
