Govt increases pension age of C-Apt employees to 60

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the government continues to reiterate that it has no intention to increase the pension age of government employees, the government has increased the pension age of the employees of the Centre for Advanced Printing and Training (C-Apt) from the existing 58 to 60 years.

The order in this regard was issued by the higher education department on May 31. With this, as many as 30 employees of C-Apt who were supposed to retire this year will get the advantage with a two-year additional service, it is reliably learnt. An executive committee meeting of C-Apt that was held on March 30 this year had discussed the matter for increasing the retirement age of its employees. However, since the matter was a policy decision to be taken by the government, the committee had decided to refer the matter to the government. On the basis of this decision, the managing director of C-Apt had written to the government on April 21 requesting to increase the retirement age.

The government, after considering the proposal from the C-Apt managing director, then decided to increase the retirement age from 58 to 60 years. It is reliably learnt that the finance department was not in favour of increasing the retirement age of the employees of the organization.

C-Apt is an autonomous institution under the state government, the objectives of which is to impart training in the field of computer, animation and multimedia, office automation, printing and reprography to the educated unemployed youth and to undertake printing and reprographic works for the government departments, autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings, etc. The C-Apt is administered by a governing body and an executive committee that consists of higher education minister and additional chief secretary (higher education).

The government had in March decided to increase the age limit of managing directors, secretaries, directors and chief executive officers of the self-administering and statutory organizations under the government, except the public sector undertakings, to 70 years.