ALL INDIA BSNL DOT PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION
[Registered No. S/68836/2010]
Central Head Quarters
D-7, Telegraph Place, Gole Market, New Delhi – 110 001
Advisor : V.A.N. Namboodiri President: Ananta Kr. Bhattacharjee
Patron : P.V. Chandrasekharan General Secretary: K.G.Jayaraj
011 – 23343388, 09447455633
AIBDPA/DOT/2013 June 24, 2013
To
Shri M. F. Farooqui
Secretary, Department of Telecommunications
Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi- 110 001
Sir,
Sub: – Pension revision consequent on 78.2% IDA fixation to the pre 2007 and post 2007 BSNL absorbed DoT retirees – request for issuing orders – reg.
Ref: – DoT order No.61-01/2012-SU dated 10.06.2013
On behalf of our Association, let me express our sincere gratitude for approval of 78.2% IDA fixation for the executives and non-executive employees of BSNL, as on 01.01.2007 with prospective effect from 10.06.2013 vide order referred to above.
The order automatically covers the post 2007 BSNL retirees. But still an operational clarificatory order is required to be issued for processing the cases by the CCAs. In this connection the following points are brought to your notice.
Firstly the pay of post 2007 BSNL retirees are to be refixed in the revised payscale as on 01.01.2007 with the revised formula. Then periodical regulation of pay with annual increments and then arrive at last pay drawn for working out pension at 50% of the last pay drawn.
Separate order may kindly be issued for the pension revision of pre 2007 BSNL retirees. For these section of pensioners, the procedure is comparatively simple. Their pension can be directly revised applying the new formula.
It is a fact that there are acute shortage of staff in almost all CCA units and previous pension revision cases as per the order No.40-17/2008-Pen(T) Vol.III dated 15.03.2011 are yet to be completed. Therefore adequate remedial measures are to be initiated to resolve the shortage of staff in the CCA units. Meanwhile, for the pre 2007 pension revision cases, the Pension Disbursing Authorities may be authorized to revise the pension directly providing them Ready Reckoner Table to ensure speedy settlement. This procedure was successfully adopted in the cases of pension revision of Central Government Pensioners as per the 6th Central Pay Commission recommendations. However in respect of post 2007, the usual procedure of sending the cases from the SSAs with revised pay details for pension revision to the CCAs cannot be discounted.
Minimum Pension / Family Pension to be enhanced to Rs.3,880/-
When the pension revision order was issued vide No.40-17/2008-Pen(T) Vol-III dated 15.03.2011, vide para 4.4 the minimum pension / family pension was limited to Rs.3,500/- where as the minimum pension/family pension for BSNL retirees was to be Rs.3,880/- which is 50% of the minimum of the lowest pay scale in BSNL. The lowest scale in BSNL is 7760-13320 which is given along with other payscales in the Annexure A of the above order.
This Association had promptly pointed out this mistake to the then Secretary, DoT vide our letter No.AIBDPA/DOT/02-2012 dated 25.03.2011 and had requested for early correction. Further reminders were submitted vide our letters dated 26.05.2012, 07.07.2012 and 28.03.2013 but of no avail. However in between this period, we had a discussion on this issue with Shri S.C. Misra, Member (Services) who argued that the minimum pension and maximum pension are decided by Government of India and cannot be changed.
We had pointed out that this argument does not hold good for the following reasons.
BSNL Pensioners are being paid the pension on this basis of Rule 37 A of CCS Pension Rules 1972.
BSNL is a Public Sector unit and are given IDA pay scales and the pension also is drawn on IDA pay scales.
Minimum Pension/family pension of Rs.3,500/- is applicable to the Central Government Pensioners based on CDA scales.
DoT order No.F.40-31 (2008-Pen(T) dated 12.08.2009 addressed to all principal CCAs and CMD, BSNL has given clear directive for drawing minimum pension and family pension to the BSNL absorbed retirees as reproduced below:
The present method of calculation of minimum pension which is 50% of the minimum of the lowest pay scale shall continue.
The minimum family pension shall be 50% of the minimum of the lowest payscale.”
Therefore it is requested that based on the above factors the minimum pension/family pension may be corrected to Rs.3,880/- and be incorporated in the order being issued for the pension revision on 78.2% IDA fixation.
Awaiting early favourable action and
Thanking you
Yours faithfully
K.G. Jayaraj
General Secretary
Copy to: (1) Ms. Sadhana Dikshit, Member (Finance), Telecom Commission.
(2) Shri S.C. Misra, Member (Services), Telecom Commission.
(3) Shri V. Umasankar, Joint Secretary (T), Department of Telecom.
(4) Com. P. Abhimanyu, GS, BSNLEU, New Delhi.