Imphal: Student bodies in Manipur on Friday reminded the state government of their long-pending demand of appointment of native IAS officer as the new chief secretary of the state.
This development comes after the incumbent state chief secretary, J Suresh Babu, is retiring from his post on July 31 after having served the illustrious position since 2018.
A farewell programme for the outgoing chief secretary J Suresh Babu was organised on Friday evening in Imphal.
In a press conference held, representatives of the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM), All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM), Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) and Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup (AIMS) reiterate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the student bodies and state government in 2018.
Representatives of the student bodies said that there is no dearth of potentiality among the native officers and the government must set things right as the post of the chief secretary remains vacant and appoint the senior-most native officer for the state’s top bureaucratic position.
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The student bodies remarked that any breach in the agreement signed between two entities will have a huge impact and might invite social unrest in the state, especially from the student community.
In 2018, a six-point agreement was signed by representatives from the state and student bodies in which the state government assured the students to consider their demands in due course of time without affecting the interest of the native officers.
Moreover, the state government intends to examine the demands and their feasibility in the light of extant rules and regulations, it said.
In the agreement, the state also assured the student bodies that in future government will give due consideration to these demands and concerns of student organisations, and will consider them in the light of relevant laws, norms and rules.
It may be mentioned that in 2018 various student organisations took to the street for a peaceful rally demanding the appointment of native IAS officer as the chief secretary of Manipur, resulted to the signing of the MoU between the state government and the student organisations.
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