Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 8: The All J&K Retirees Association has expressed deep concern regarding the significant delay in the payment of retirement gratuity and General Provident Fund, which have been pending since January.
In a statement, Lal Chand Sharma, President of the Association, emphasized that retirees are enduring immense hardships due to the non-clearance of their rightful entitlements, currently languishing at the treasuries.
The pending GPF claims and gratuity payments are owed to retirees who superannuated on the final day of January and onwards, he said.
Sharma highlighted that this money is crucial for financing their children’s education and marriages.
“The denial of these benefits has plunged retired officials into severe financial crises, underscoring a clear mismanagement of the finance department, which is headed by the Chief Secretary himself,” he said.
He said the UT Government’s claims of abundant financial resources only exacerbate the retirees’ frustration.
Sharma warned that if their claims remain unresolved at the treasuries, through no fault of their own, the retirees will be compelled to demand interest from the government for the duration of the unsettled claims.
This issue, he said, has persisted for approximately two years, suggesting a disconcerting disregard from the administration.
Sharma appealed to the Lieutenant Governor of the UT to personally intervene in the matter. He emphasized that after dedicating their entire careers to public welfare, employees should not be subjected to such unwarranted financial losses.
He urged the Lieutenant Governor to issue immediate orders for the clearance of pending liabilities and ensure timely payments in the future.
Meanwhile, he said that a large number of cases pertaining to compassionate appointments remain unsettled due to the implementation of a new policy.
“This has resulted in significant hardships for the affected claimants of deceased employees,” Sharma said, while requesting the government to adopt a compassionate and lenient approach towards resolving this matter.
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