Chandigarh. A very big and important news has come to light for the disabled employees and teachers working in the Education Department of Haryana. Taking a major administrative decision, the Secondary Education Department of the State Government has issued an order to relieve all those disabled teachers and non-teaching staff working in the department, who have completed 58 years of age. This important decision of the Government is based on the legal orders and guidelines issued from time to time by the Honorable Supreme Court and Punjab and Haryana High Court. There has been a stir in the education department after this decision, but the department has clarified that this action is being taken completely within the legal framework and rules. In this regard, written instructions have been issued by the Office of the Director General of Secondary Education to all the competent authorities of the state, district education officers and concerned school principals. According to official orders, this action is being implemented on the basis of guidelines issued by the Finance Department on July 9. The order clearly states that any disabled teacher or non-academic employee who has crossed the prescribed retirement age of 58 years should be relieved from their posts with immediate effect. After this order came to light, many apprehensions were arising in the minds of the affected employees regarding their arrears, salary and pension. However, the government and the education department have given great relief to the employees keeping in mind both the humanitarian and legal aspects in this matter. The department has made it clear that the employees who continued their services even after completing the age of 58 years, will be given their full salary, pension and all other payable allowances as per rules till the last date of their entire tenure. They will be fully entitled to all these service benefits. Along with this, the government has given another big relief to the employees and made it clear that if any financial or service benefit has been given to the employees during their service period after crossing the retirement age, then no recovery of the same will be made. That is, any previous service benefits given to the employees will not be withdrawn. The department says that this decision is completely justified so that the retiring disabled employees do not have to face any kind of financial crisis or mental problem in their old age and living. Citing the orders of the courts, Education Department officials said that there is a fixed age limit for retirement in government services. This step has been taken to remove this discrepancy in compliance with the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court. The Secondary Education Department has instructed all the district officers to immediately verify the data of all such disabled teachers and employees from the schools and offices falling under their respective jurisdictions and complete the retirement process of the employees who have crossed the age limit without any delay. This decision is expected to impact hundreds of disabled teachers, clerks, and other support staff in the state. While on one hand this decision has caused confusion among some employees, on the other hand they have got great relief from the department’s assurance of securing all service benefits and pensions. In the coming days, the final list of retired employees from all the districts will be prepared, after which they will be officially relieved and paid their financial benefits.
Disabled employees who have completed the age of 58 years will be retired.
