The Manipur government has asked teachers of all colleges and employees of the higher education department to take necessary approvals from competent authorities before expressing any views on government policies in the media.
Director of University and Higher Education K Diana Devi in a memorandum said non-compliance of the order might lead to disciplinary action.
“Some government college teachers have been writing or expressing their views on government policies and programmes in the media which is likely to promote defiance of authority,” Devi said in the statement.
The director further said that “due approval from the competent authority should be taken before publishing or making statement regarding any government policy or programme in the media, failing which appropriate action may be initiated against them as per the relevant provisions of Central Civil Service (Classification, Control and Appeal Rules, 1965)”.
Several members of the Federation of Government College Teachers’ Association (FEGOCTA) and All Manipur College Teacher Association (AMCTA) had been criticising the state government for its failure to implement the recommendations of the seventh pay commission.
Many of them have also expressed their views on the issue on news channels and social media.
“No government servant shall in the media publish any document in his own name or anonymously or make statements in the name of other person which has the effect of adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the central/state government and which too is capable of embarrassing the relation between the Centre and government of any state,” she said.
