The Ministry of Environment and Forests secretary V Rajagopalan held talks with Forest Research Institute head of divisions and members of the three staff associations of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun on Friday regarding the long pending demands of the scientific, technical and ministerial staff members of the institute and council.
The secretary assured the association members that he would gather relevant information from departments concerned to facilitate necessary action on their demands.Earlier this month, members of the Federation of Scientific Association, Technical Staff Association and Ministerial Staff Association of the ICFRE had protested against delay in salary disbursal and because since its creation in 1986 as an autonomous body through a cabinet note the pattern implemented in similarly created bodies like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research or Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has not been implemented in the ICFRE.
The TSA secretary CM Sharma said, “The MoEF secretary, during an hour long meeting with representatives of the three associations, assured us that he would gather information from the Government of India to facilitate redressal of our problems. We are demanding that either the cabinet note be implemented or that the council be handed over back to the Government of India. We have been waiting for some positive action for the past 22 years. The meeting with the Ministry secretary has come as a proactive development,” added Sharma.
He further alleged that the major chunk of the council’s budget was being spent on IFS officers deputed to various senior posts in different institutes of the council which was exerting a negative impact on the research and development works that form the main tasks of all institutes under ICFRE. The council’s director general is expected to visit Dehradun on August 13 though the visit is not yet confirmed. The staff associations will decide their future course of action after meeting him, said Sharma.