If you ask any Navodaya staff what is their main expectation from Administrators of Samiti for their welfare, the chances are that there would be only one answer across the cadres,regions and age groups: Govt of India Pension. Benevolent Fund idea seems to have flown from our Administrator's inability to fulfill our expectations. Something is always better than nothing! So let's welcome the move and appreciate the underlying genuine desire for the welfare of the staff.
One of the gray areas of the fund rules is the constitution of the managing committee. It's a norm across the world to include staff representatives and independent,honest and well known social workers (in lines of independent directors) as members of managing committees of staff welfare funds with enough powers to check excessive use of discretionary powers(3.4.vi empowers the committee with unlimited discretionary power which is not required under normal circumstances) and misuse of the fund. So the Managing Committee needs to be inclusive of staff and independent members to establish the credible trusteeship.
Economic backwardness must have been included as an important criterion, else the fund may become the benevolent fund for the 'creamy layer of NVS'. Some kind of cap needs to be established for the expenditure of the fund. In the absence of the cap, wastage and pilferage can't be controlled. I request the readers to leave their comments here to accommodate the varied views.
One of the gray areas of the fund rules is the constitution of the managing committee. It's a norm across the world to include staff representatives and independent,honest and well known social workers (in lines of independent directors) as members of managing committees of staff welfare funds with enough powers to check excessive use of discretionary powers(3.4.vi empowers the committee with unlimited discretionary power which is not required under normal circumstances) and misuse of the fund. So the Managing Committee needs to be inclusive of staff and independent members to establish the credible trusteeship.
Economic backwardness must have been included as an important criterion, else the fund may become the benevolent fund for the 'creamy layer of NVS'. Some kind of cap needs to be established for the expenditure of the fund. In the absence of the cap, wastage and pilferage can't be controlled. I request the readers to leave their comments here to accommodate the varied views.
