Employees of the Govt. of India Printing Press Issue - Confederation writes to PM
Request to review the decision of the Cabinet to close down twelve (12) Govt. of India Presses, on humanitarian consideration - Confederation write to Hon'ble Prime Minister, Govt. of India
No. Confdn/GIPs/2016-19
Dated - 01.01.2018
To
Shri Narendra Modi Ji,
Hon’ble Prime Minister
Government of India,
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi-110 011
Sir,
Sub:- Request to review the decision of the Cabinet to close down twelve (12) Govt. of India Presses, on humanitarian consideration.
This representation is made with the most fervent hope that the Hon’ble Prime Minister will be kind enough to intercede on behalf of about 3000 employees and their families who are facing mass scale transfers and uprooting of their families.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Urban Development (2016-17) Sixteenth Lok Sabha in its Eighteenth Report presented to the Lok Sabha on 10th August 2017 has made the following recommendations:
“Para 1.7 - The Committee in their original report has strongly recommended that the nodal Ministry and Ministry of Finance should expedite the modernisaion of all the fifteen (15) Govt. of India Presses, including the three Text Book Presses. However it is learnt from the Action Taken Reply that the Group of Secretaries (set up by Govt. for undertaking mid-term review of policies and programmes of the Government) has recommended for closure of eleven (11) out of the seventeen (17) printing presses and modernisation of only the remaining six (6) through redevelopment/monetization of surplus land.
The committee are extremely unhappy to note that the Government is going ahead with the suggestion of Group of Secretaries. This decision, according to the Committee, is totally unfair to the workers of the Government of India Printing Presses whose morale is already at stake and will only add to insecurity about their future. Moreover, the committee are of the strong opinion that the relevance of Govt. of India Printing presses will ever remain as long as confidentiality is the essence of some aspects of Government business, besides being custodian of all relevant and sensitive Govt. of India publications. The Committee, therefore, reiterate their earlier recommendation that all fifteen (15) Govt. of India Printing Presses, including three (3) Text Book Presses must be modernised on war footing without any further delay under intimation to the Committee.”
It is quite unfortunate that inspite of the above categorical and unambiguous recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, the Govt. has taken decision to close down twelve Govt. of India Presses as per the recommendations of the Group of Secretaries Committee. About 3000 employees working in those Govt. of India Presses proposed for closure are facing mass scale transfer to far off places in other states. Their families are also subjected to untold miseries due to the unexpected closure and transfers. They have become the victims of the bureaucratic decision which is devoid of humanitarian consideration. All our requests to consider their cases on extreme compassionate grounds had fallen on deaf ears and hence this humble request to the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
I, on behalf of the employees of the Govt. of India Printing Press, most humbly request the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to be kind enough to review the decision of the Cabinet, so that the decision of the Govt. to close down twelve (12) Govt. of India Presses will be either cancelled or at least kept in abeyance.
A line in reply from your end will be highly appreciated.
With profound regards,
Yours faithfully,
(M. Krishnan)
Secretary General
Confederation
Mob & WhatsApp: 09447068125
E-mail: mkrishnan6854@gmail.com
Source: Confederation
