Govt to raise retirement age to 62 for profs to implement quota

New Delhi, Jun 14 (UNI) Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today reiterated that no pay would be given to doctors who went on strike over the quota issue and that reservation would be implemented in prestigious institutes like AIIMS, PGI, Chandigarh, and JIPMER, Pondicherry, from next year itself by raising the retirement age of faculty members.

''The law of the land says no work no pay be it for AIIMS, Safdarjung, RML, Railways or any other government entity. No one is above law,'' Dr Ramadoss told reporters here when asked about the health ministry writing to AIIMS authorities that no payment should be given to resident doctors who went on strike against the government decision to implement 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in institutes of higher education.

Asked why the government was penalising the doctors despite the Supreme Court's assurance to them that if they went back to work no punitive action would be taken against them, Dr Ramadoss said, ''We have not taken any punitive action against them for loss of duty. The law of the land says no work no pay. If we give concession this time to AIIMS doctors, then next time someone else would come on other issue.'' About whether non-payment was not a form of punitive action, Dr Ramadoss said that if the court tells the government then only it will pay salaries to the doctors who went on strike. The resident doctors have charged the health ministers for victimising them for protesting over the quota issue.

Dr Ramdoss also denied the AIIMS Faculty's charge, who have complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that the health minister was interfereing in the functioning of the autonomous organisation.

''AIIMS is in Delhi, the political centre of the country. So, there is politics in AIIMS also. Doctors should concentrate on their work instead of indulging in politics,'' he said.

He said that government was planning to introduce quota for OBC in AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh and JIPMER Pondicherry from next year only.

Assserting that the necessary infrastructure facility was available and could be augumented so as to introduce the reservation at undergraduate and post graduate level from next year itself.

When pointed out that AIIMS, PGI authorities are saying that they are not prepared to increase the seats in view of resource and faculty crunch, the minister said that the problem of lack of adequate faculty members could be solved by increasing the time of retirement from 60 years to 62 years in government institutions and also by appointing retired professors on contract. In the private sector, the retirement age for professors to higher educational institutions could be raised to 70 years, he said.

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