AIZAWL, March 3: Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced on Monday that the state government will provide voluntary pensions to government employees who are unable to perform their duties effectively, due to health or other reasons, under the newly introduced Special Voluntary Retirement Scheme.
Addressing the state assembly, Lalduhoma explained that service review committees will be established in all departments to identify non-performing employees. He emphasized that the government is not looking to sack employees but instead offering them an honorable exit if they are no longer fit to execute their duties.
The Chief Minister highlighted the importance of service reforms, stating that good governance and a strong government can only be achieved through improved service quality. The introduction of the voluntary pension scheme is part of the government’s broader efforts to address inefficiency and ensure a high standard of service delivery.
Since the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government assumed office in December 2023, it has been working to eliminate the practice of proxy hiring by government employees. Lalduhoma informed the assembly that over 3,000 employees from 44 departments had previously hired proxies to perform their duties. The majority of these employees cited health and domestic issues as reasons for proxy hiring.
The government directed employees who hired substitutes to report to their respective departments within 45 days, and currently, no further reports of proxy hiring have been received. However, Lalduhoma made it clear that the government will take appropriate action against those who continue the practice.
Under the Mizoram Special Voluntary Retirement Scheme, 2024, regular employees covered by CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, who have not completed at least 20 years of service, and employees under the Mizoram New Defined Contributory System, 2010, are eligible to apply for voluntary retirement. The scheme was notified in January 2025 and is designed to address issues of non-performing employees across the state’s workforce.
