NGOs' Association Chalks out Year-long programme for Diamond Jubilee celebration

News Item

          The Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association has drawn up a year-long programme in connection with the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Association. The Association is going to complete 60 years of its formation.   In a largely-attended meeting held at Hotel ACC, Port Blair today (16.03.2013) evening, it was decided to conduct various programmes throughout Andaman and Nicobar Islands from July, 2013 to February, 2014.   Presenting the blue-print of the  programme in the meeting today, Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary of the Association said that the inauguration of the Diamond Jubilee Celebration will be formally  held sometime in August, 2013 while sport and games competitions,  Seminars on various topic,  photo exhibition, etc. will be carried out  from July, 2013 onwards till February, 2014. 

          Speaking on the occasion, former General Secretary of the Association Shri KG Das recalled the glorious past of the Association under the leadership of late veteran leader PKS Prasd.   Referring to various anti-working class policies being pursued by the central government, Shri KG Das said that the public sector undertakings built up with the help of former Soviet Union by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Smt Indira Gandhi are being sold out one by one at throwaway prices.  Addressing the gathering, Shri P. Banerjee, former President of the Association recalled the  famous struggle launched by PKS Prasad against demolition of  huts constructed on government land  by government employees  in which  hundreds of government employees  were  suspended and jailed in the Cellular Jail. Due to this agitation, the Administration had to go for construction of residential accommodation for government employees at various parts of Port Blair and other areas in the islands.   Addressing the gathering, Shri B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary, CITU A & N State Committee called upon the government employees to continue their agitation and struggle on their various issues. 

          Former leaders of the Association Shri N. Ravindran, Shri A. Ramesan Nair, Shri M. Mohammed, etc.  who participated in a number of  movements,   narrated the  victimization  they had to face at the hands of  bureaucracy in the Administration during the  1960s and 1970s  for participating in the Association’s activities.      

         The meeting elected a 100-member Diamond Jubilee celebration Committee   with Shri KG Das as Patron, Shri B. Chandrachoodan as Chairman and Shri TS Sreekumar as Secretary.   

          Shri Sadanand Rai, President of the Association who presided over the meeting welcomed the gathering while Shri H.L. Prasad, Vice President   proposed a Vote of Thanks.