We, the
undersigned Pensioners belonging to different Pensioners Associations
affiliated to the National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations
submit the following memorandum containing our main demands for redressal from
the Government of India headed by Your goodself Sir.
As decided by the National Executive Meeting
of NCCPA held on 06.03.2023, we are submitting this memrandum containing 15
point charter of Demands. To focus attention on the Charter of Demands, we have
observed dharnas on 21.04.2023 at all District levels and on 23.05.2023 at
State levels to culminate in this March to Parliament on 21-07-2023 along with
the N-JCM for submitting this memorandum.
- Continued stand of GOI to defend NPS:
The
National Pension System is nothing but a hoax wherein only the Central
Government Employees and others are recovered 10% of their pay and DA without
any guarantee to even the minimum pension guaranteed under CCS (Pension) Rules,
1972. The argument of the Central Government that only after a longer term the
NPS will start yielding fruits is not based on facts as NPS was legally
implemented for 18 long years! Even after many State Governments declaring that
they are opting out of NPS and will implement only OPS for its employees, the
Central Government and some of its agencies held out open threats against those
State Governments. Not even a single world country is paying better pension
than the Pay – As-You-Go Old Pension. Therefore it is not our fears but our
experience to life that NPS is not going to pay pension at our old age as
assured. We therefore request that the Central Government take back the PFRDA
for the Central Government and Public Sector Employees and bring all work force
under the CCS Pension Rules, 1972 now renamed as CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021.
The Central
Government Employees and Pensioners are getting their wages and pension
revision only after 10 years recently through Central Pay Commissions. The 7th
CPC recommendations were implemented from 1.1.2016 and therefore by this
standard the 8th CPC should have been formed by this time and its
recommendations should be implemented from 1.1.2026. The intermittent talk that there may not be any CPCs in future is acting like a shock to the
senior citizens, whose life is fully dependent on the pension revision. We also
hear that the Government is considering the issue that aged pensioners above 75
or 80 will not be given any Dearness Relief compensation in future. Such
attacks on the senior citizens are fully unjustified. Therefore, we request
that the wage and pension revision through 8th CPC is appropriate
and the Pay Commission may be constituted by the GOI immediately.
- Payment of impounded DA/DR arrears:
It is
observed that repeatedly the Government is answering that the arrears of DA/DR
from Central Government Employees and Pensioners impounded during the months of
1.1.2020 to 30.06.2021 cannot be paid due to the enormous expenditure spent by
the Government to fight the menace of corona in the country. The claim by the
Central Government is hallow as during this time of corona, the corporates of
India were multiplying their wealth without any hindrance. Many Governments of
the world nations have spent huge amount of their GDP to fight the menace of
corona but ironically the Indian Government had spent only a fraction of that
amount spent by different world countries. Therefore, we request for
reconsideration and payment of entire arrears of DA/DR continued to be
impounded.
So also
three instalments of IDA of BSNL/MTNL pensioners were impounded rather
illegally, without any specific order which has to be refunded early.
- Revision of Pension of BSNL / MTNL absorbed Pensioners from
1.1.2017:
The pension
revision of BSNL/MTNL pensioners is due from 01-01-2017. The Central Government
had annulled the 60:40 condition for pension payment to BSNL/MTNL pensioners
and as such the entire liability is to borne by the Government. The Telecom Ministry initially had taken a
negative stand linking the pension revision with wage revision of BSNL/MTNL
employees. Though the Government had to
change its stand and agreed to delink pension revision from wage revision, the
issue is unjustifiably and unnecessarily being delayed by the DoT. Therefore, we
request your early intervention for the resolution of the issue by revising the
pension with 15% fitment recommended byn 3rd PRC from 01-01-2017.
Non-revision of pension after 1.1.2007 had left the BSNL / MTNL Pensioners
without any upward revision for more than 16 years and naturally become
restive.
- Updation of Pension for Bank Retirees and including them in
CGHS Scheme;
It is
ironical that the Bank Retirees who were fixed with 50% of the LPD as Pension
at the time or retirement are never granted any up dation of pension after
their retirement decades back. The faulty argument raised by the GOI and IBA
are not to be held for continued denial of updation of pension. The fact that
huge sum is allowed to accumulate in pension fund in banks are pointed out by
the Pensioners Associations of Banks are not denied by the IBA or any other
agency. The agreements entered at the time of introduction of OPS to Bank
retirees are continued to be violated in the name of court prejudices. NCCPA
requests for reconsideration and updation of pension periodically at the same
percentage along with the wage agreements to the Bank Employees.
Similarly,
the Bank Pensioners are given out medical insurance scheme only after parting
with a huge sum every year towards premium while the Bank Employees are given
the medical treatment free of cost. This is in contrast with the treatment of
CG Pensioners who are asked to part with subscription only once in the life
time and issued with a life time card for treatment. The step motherly
treatment to the Bank Pensioners is causing large number of Pensioners to opt
out of the Medical Insurance Scheme. We request that the Medical Insurance
scheme to bank Pensioners to be like CGHS Payment or reconsider inclusion in
the CGHS itself where the rate of subscription is not as high as in the present
Bank Pensioners Medical Insurance Scheme.
- Implementation of Parliament Standing Committee
recommendations:
It is
brought to your kind notice that the Parliament Standing Committee of Pension
Ministry in its 110th Report had recommended many issues including
grant of additional Pension from the age of 65 and grant of FMA at the rate of
3000/- per month. But the same Parliament Standing Committee in its subsequent
report expressed satisfaction over the stand of the GOI to deny several of its
recommendations due to financial crunch except the question of FMA, which is
still under the consideration. Many recommendations of the Parliament Standing
Committee are not new but already recommended by the CPC or pronounced
judgments by the Courts of the land only. We therefore request the GOI to
reconsider and implement the recommendations of the Parliament Standing
Committee.
The
recommendations of Parliament Standing Committee include some items already
recommended by the 7th CPC for merging different health systems
under the GOI like the CGHS – RELHS – ECHS etc and for opening at least one
wellness centre of CGHS in all revenue districts. The allotment of shrinking
budgetary allocation to health sector by the Government in the recent budget
shows once again that the Government is not worried about the health hazards of
senior citizens all over the country suffering from lack of wellness centre for
the CG Pensioners in their districts. The earlier assurances in some quarters
that the rates of hospital charges etc will be shortly revised to attract many
hospitals went out of empanelled lists are also now reportedly denied by the
GOI in the name of Finance Ministry objections.
This will not bring any remedy to the senior citizens who are denied
treatment in many of the hospitals in a cashless way and cause innumerable
hardships. The denial of CGHS facility to Pensioners of Autonomous bodies is
also not reasonable. We request that the GOI should reconsider its stand and
open (1) wellness centres in all revenue districts; (2) enhance the hospital
rates fixed as far back as in 2014; (3) Increase the number of empanelled
hospitals; (4) Ensure supply of medicines to all beneficiaries without delay;
(5) Augment necessary doctors and para medical staff in all wellness centres;
(6) take action to merge CGHS – RELHS – ECHS systems into one system for the
benefit of CG Employees and Pensioners; (7) Extend the CGHS facilities to
Pensioners of Autonomous bodies.
- Restoration of Commutation after 12 years:
The
commutation of pension amount is recovered for 15 years and despite the
pointing out that despite the life longevity of pensioners had increased and
that rate of interest in FD and many other items in Banks have come down
drastically, the period of recovery of commutation has not been reduced. The
irony is that the total amount and its interest is being recovered by
Government in less than 10 years but from every senior citizen a huge sum is
being recovered in the name of recovery of commutation. It is not out of place
that State Governments like Kerala and Gujarat had
already reduced the period of commutation recovery to 12 and 13 years
respectively. While the State Governments can reduce the period of recovery of
commutation with their minimum resources in comparison with the Central
Government, the continued recovery for 15 years by the GOI is not at all
justified. We request that the period of restoration of commutation of pension
should be ordered as 12 years by the GOI immediately and excess recovery from
the senior citizens be returned.
- Grant of fixation of pension in higher scales granted to same
cadres:
The Pension
revision is granted only at par with the scale of pay in which the pensioner
had retired and not on the scale of pay implemented to the same cadre or post
by the Central Pay Commissions. The CPC admits and grants higher pay scale only
because of justification by the service of the cadre in the past. Therefore,
denial of that higher pay for pension fixation to the retired pensioners of the
same cadre or post is not at all justified. Moreover, the pensioners who go to
courts and wins their prayers are extended the benefit but denied the same
benefit to all other similarly placed pensioners. For example the recommended
scale of 7450-11500 was implemented to all HSG-I prospectively from 1.1.2006
but all same cadre retired before 1.1.2006 were granted pension revision only
on 6500-10500 scales. The stand of the GOI is not justified. The standpoint
adopted by the GOI is to be changed and we request that the same scale of pay
granted to serving employees by a pay commission be grated to retirees also for
refixation of their pension.
- Grant of notional increment to 30th
June Retirees:
After
1.1.2006 the date of increment was changed to a system of granting the
increment to all from 1st January. This has prevented many
pensioners retired on 30th June without availing the due increment
even after performing the service for one whole year. The issue was settled for
the pensioners who went to court and the prayer was upheld by Honorable High
Courts and Supreme Court for the litigants only. It is not out of place to
mention that the SLP and review petition filed by the Government against the
pensioners were rejected but the stand of the Government that the judgment was
no In-Rem in character and therefore cannot be implemented for all similarly
placed is acting against the interests of several senior citizens. We,
therefore request the GOI to grant the notional increment for all pensioners
who retired after 1.1.2006 without getting the benefit of increment even after
working for one whole year before their superannuation.
- Advance the date of MACP to 1.1.2006
instead of 1.9.2008:
Denial of
MACP implementation from 1.1.2006 to civilian employees while accepting the
same for the Défense Employees, shows the clear discrimination against the
Civilian Employees by the Government of India. The argument of the Government
advocate in the Supreme Court and its acceptance by the Judge lacks
justification on the face of the fact that the same benefit was extended by the
same court to Defence employees and accepted and implemented by the GOI. The
argument of the Advocate that any such advancement will act adversely on the
ACP granted officials during that period is well managed in the Défense! Then
how it can adversely affect the other civilian employees during the same
period. Therefore, the GOI should come forward to extend the same benefit of
implementation of MACP from 1.1.2006 to Civilians also.
- Grant of MACP to Promotees of
Competitive Examinations:
The MACP is
built on the analogy of granting upgradation to those who are not granted
promotions in the same cadre. There are two types of promotions in vogue. One
is in-situ type of promotions grated by the Government. Other is the
competitive exam based promotions earned by the efforts of the employees. Many
Courts have ruled that the competitiveness based promotions are to be
discounted against the number of MACP upgradations granted to the officials.
But the Government is not ready to change its stand on the issue. The
promotions of in-situ and competitiveness are treated as same by the GOI and
MACP upgradations are adjusted against both. We request that necessary change
in the MACP rules may be effected to exclude the competitiveness based exams
from the number of MACP granted to them.
- Grant of MACP to MTS, MailGuard,
Postmen and Postal Assistants who were retired without MACP due to non-
incorporation of any Bench Mark in APAR.
Many MTS,
MailGuard, Postmen and Postal Assistant staff were retired without any MACP due
to the new norm that APAR Benchmark is needed as “Very Good”. The retired staff
cannot be expected to perform now to earn any such benchmark in their APAR.
Therefore, the change is to be made non-applicable to the retired staff who
already retired from service after 1.9.2008 who could not get their MACP
upgradations due to absence of their APAR Benchmarks.
- Restoring the Senior Citizen Train
Ticket Concessions:
During
Corona time, the Government declared that it is withdrawing the travel
concessions available to all Senior Citizens in the Railways. But even after
the Covid-19 is under control and the Railways have started its full operations
long back, the Senior Citizen Concessions have not been restored so far. Even
after Railways started earning in full swing, not giving back the concessions
to the Senior Citizens and making the profit increase to the tune of
concessions is not in good taste. The Railways cannot be run in profit only by
snatching a concession granted to the senior citizens. The action to continue
to deny the existing concession to senior citizens is being looked into by many
as the part of action plan of the Government to hand over the Railways to
Private Players with more profit including the portion of accrued due to the
snatching of a concession to senior citizens. Hence, we request for early
restoration of the concession to senior citizens.
- Enacting Rules of Recognition to
Pensioners Associations:
There are
presently no rules of recognition available to recognize the Associations of
Pensioners in India. SCOVA admission and admission into the Pensioners Portal
is being done at the whims of the Government and not based on any strength
granted as per recognition rules. The Central Government Employees are
recognised based on certain Rules of Recognition called the CCS RSA Rules,
1993. The representatives of those Federations / Associations are selected by
the respective recognized Federations / Associations to all the forums like JCM
National Council or Departmental Councils. We request that necessary rules of
recognition be framed to recognise All India Organisations and State CGPA
Organizations after discussions with the stakeholders. This is very important
as to ensure the functioning of Pensioners Associations in a democratic way and
to address the genuine problems of all Pensioners of Central Government running
into several lakhs.
Appeal:
The
National Coordination Committee appeals that the above justified issues of
Central Government and Public Sector Pensioners be settled by the Central
Government and bring relief to lakhs of Pensioners and Family Pensioners
community. We request that a fresh look be given to the above demands and fresh
action be initiated to sort out the above burning issues.
Thanking
you Sir,
Yours sincerely
Sl No. Name
Department
Signature
