Promotions, retirement benefits of ST staff in Tamil Nadu withheld pending caste verification

Dozens of employees in a fix as their community claim stands to scrutiny. Disproportionate number of beneficiaries raises doubts and calls for verification, an official says

The retirement benefits of several Scheduled Tribes employees of the Centre have been withheld pending verification of their caste certificates by the Tamil Nadu Government. The promotions of dozens of employees have been stalled for the same reason. The issue pertains to the employees, particularly those who claimed to be belonging to the Kattu Naicker and Malaikuravan communities, official sources told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, has written to the Chief Secretaries of all States/Union Territories stating that instances had come to notice where pensionary benefits of employees working in various offices and organisations under the Central Government in Tamil Nadu were being withheld on the ground that their caste verification was pending from the State Government, the sources said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC & ST) took a serious view of this, and directed the DoPT to issue necessary guidelines to all concerned for timely verification of the certificates.