Aizawl: As many as 3,365 state government employees in Mizoram have enlisted substitutes to unlawfully perform their duties across various departments, particularly in rural regions, officials said.
Upon assuming office in December last year, the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) government, led by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, requested information regarding substitute employees and urged them to come forward by January.
Highest number of proxies in education department
As per the received data concerning the discrepancies, the school education department accounts for the highest number of substitute employees at 1,115, followed by the health and family welfare department at 624, and the power and electricity department with 253 proxies, according to officials.
Employees gave absurd reasons
Of those who engaged substitute employees, 2,070 government employees indicated health issues as the primary reason, while 703 cited domestic challenges.
Additional reasons cited by employees for hiring proxies included the absence of residential quarters, inaccessibility of villages where they were stationed, and language barriers, among others.
Lalduhoma recently announced that the state cabinet would review cases of substitute employment by government workers and make a final decision.
Mizoram boasts around 50,000 state government employees.
(With PTI inputs)
Also Read: Mizoram: Heroin, explosives valued over Rs 47 crore seized, three held
Also Read: Myanmar national held with heroin worth Rs 9.6 crore in Mizoram's Champai district
