Latha Mangeshkar, the nightingale of our country has passed away. She was under treatment for the last few weeks for post covid related ailments in a Mumbai hospital and breathed her last on today morning. She was 92 . She started singing in the year 1943 at the age of 13 and enthralled the people with her sweet voice and magical singing. She has sung thousands of songs in almost all the languages in the Indian films, mainly Hindi Films. Latha Mangeshkar was the receipient of several awards including the highest civil honour of the country, Bharat Ratna and the highest award of Films, Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The passing away of Lata Mangeshkat is an irrepairable loss for the whole country and she will continue to be in the hearts of the people for ever with her everlasting songs. AIBDPA pays respectful homage to the departed legendary singer and conveys heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and all the music lovers.

C

NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS..

(Registered undder the T.U. Act.No. RTU01/2021.Dated.7.01.2021

PAN NO AAEAN8586F

Website: nccpahq.blogspot.in.E mail: nccpahq@gmail.com.

13.c Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi. 110 001

PRESIDENT:                COM.SHIV GOPAL MISHRA.(97176 47594)

SECRETARY GENERAL:          COM.K.K.N.KUTTY. (98110 48303)

Dated: 2^ND February, 2022.

Dear Comrade,

The Union Budget 2022

On 1^st February, 2022, (the customary date fixed for Union Budget) Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman, Finance Minister, Government of India, presented the budget for the financial year 2022-23 to the Lok Sabha at 11.00 AM. The Budget is an instrument from which the common people expect the Government of India to extend its helping hand to remove their agony.  They normally glue to the TV sets or listen to the Radio broadcast to know whether the empathy has been translated into tangible terms.  The people had expected a lot from this budget as they thought that the Government was aware of the deprivation suffered by the common multitude due to the still-not-abated pandemic, covid 19.  The continuing pandemic situation for the last two years had affected severely the life and means of livelihood of the people at large.  It was during the period of pandemic, the Indian people realised the worth of public health system and how disastrous had been its concerted destruction over the years by the Government. 

Most of the time in the year 2021, the country had to face several lock downs as the only way to arrest the severity of the pandemic.  The sudden halt of all economic activities had its terrible toll.  Many families of the people at the lower strata of the society had been driven to the shores of penury and poverty during the period.  It is, therefore, necessary that the budget proposals are seen through their eyes.

It is difficult to discern any positive features in the budget, viewed from the common man’s perspective.  With the rising tax revenue, mostly from indirect taxes, like GST, Customs and excise duties, nay even from the corporate and income tax, the Government could have announced certain welfare measures benefiting the poor and suffering people.  In fact the allocation on health, education, employment generation schemes, food and fertilizer subsidies, agriculture (for MSP, Crop insurance,) child welfare etc. has either remained  static or got reduced. A major share of the excise duty has come from the systematic and continuous increase in the petroleum products. The cost of LPG gas cylinder had almost been doubled by this Government between 2014 and 2021.  The phenomenal increase in the cooking gas alone brought distress to a large majority of the people in the lower and middle segments of the society.  The announcements like developing 25000 KMs National highways and 2200 KM new Railway tracks, 400 super-fast trains and above all the introduction of an official digital currency were in fact mocking at the poor people.  The total expenditure of the Government estimated in the Budget for the year 2022-23, despite a nominal increase is actually down from. 17.1% of GDP in 2020-21 to 15.3.%

Without raising resources no government would be able to either increase the long term capital expenditure to create infrastructure asset base nor look after its people at lower strata.  In the difficult situation the people are placed, due to the un-abaiting covid and periodical lock outs, the Government ought to have raised resources from those who has the ability to pay.   Such a proposal must have been a must in the budget.  The Oxfam report, India supplement, which has just been released tells us the sordid story of the vast majority of the Indian people.  Amongst the poverty stricken Nations, India has further fallen from 94 to 104.  It also tells that the top 10 rich  persons in the country had been able to double their wealth during the covid period.  Most of the Indian corporate houses have increased their profit ratio. Why then the Government could not have raised the corporate tax rates or  the rate of income tax  at the super profit level, obviously elicits only one answer.  In fact, the Government had reduced the rate of corporation tax   from 33% to 22% as part of the covid specific bail-out package.  The least the Finance Minister could have done was to restore the old rates.

Pensioner community is no different from the common people.  The senior citizens suffered immeasurably during this period.  Almost every one of them was afflicted with the covid virus.  Being old they were more prone to the pandemic.  Some of them despite being in self- proclaimed house arrest, still suffered from the virus infection.  The private hospitals in the country charged exorbitantly for the treatment.  Having almost dismantled the public health care system, they had no alternative but to be at the mercy of the private hospitals.  Pensioners and the senior citizens still suffer the post-covid health complications.  No concession has been granted to the old people in the Budget, whereas the Govt. has unashamedly taken crores of rupees from the pensioners by denying the Dearness relief due to them for 18 months.    Rather some of the facilities  like  air and train travel concessions were withdrawn .  Many expected that the Government would take note of the huge hospitalisation expenditure incurred by the pensioners and old people and would increase the ceiling limit of medical expenses in the Budget. 

Almost all of the Pensioners and retired personnel had invested their retirement benefits on fixed term deposits in the Nationalised Banks.  Crores of rupees had been collected by the Banks from the pensioners and the fund has obviously been used to advance to rich and corporate entities.  A good chunk of such loans has now become non- performing assets and now a new Bad Bank to deal with such assets has been set up. From 2014 onwards, this government had been systematically reducing the interest rates on term deposits to facilitate the business enterprises.  The fall out has been terrible loss to the pensioner community.  Not only the real value of their income has been eroded   but even in quantum terms, the loss had been unbearable.  According to an estimate a person who had invested in Fixed Deposits, say 20 lakhs in 2014 would suffer a loss of Rs. 87,120 in the year 2021-22 due to interest rate reduction.  That is precisely Rs. 7260 per month.  While the income had a drastic reduction, the expenditure due to inflation and effected price rise on petroleum products has almost doubled. 

The 2022-23 Budget has, despite having increased revenue collection, sought to reduce its outflow on welfare measures  ,exposing  clearly where   the empathy of the rulers are. It refused to tax the rich who has increased their profit during the covid period.  It continues to proclaim to raise resources by selling away the Public Sector Units and lease out the infra structural assets for pittance to private enterprises.  Privatisation and crony capitalism had been the hall mark of the policy of this government.  How far they can go could be evidenced rom the fact that the company to whom the contract for the production of the Vande Bharat coaches has been given, is permitted to manufacture it inside the ICF/RCF coach factories owned by the Government. 

The Budget is, therefore, not only disappointing but in a way reflects the insensitive mind-set of those in the governance of the country towards the suffering people.   There must be and will be strong reaction from the people at large to this anti people budget.  

With greetings,

Yours fraternally,

KKN. Kutty.

Secretary General.

PEN

PENSION REVISION- ILLUSIONS AND REALITIES.

Shri.. John Brittas M P has made an effective and strong intervention on the issue of Pension Revision to BSNL Pensioners with 15% fitment delinkIng wage revision from 01-01-2017.

The first letter dated 30-07-2021 in this regard to the Hon’ble Minister of Communications, Shri. Ashwini Vaishnaw was replied by the Minister on 06-09-2021.The reply was the same that his predecessor Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad had stated earlier in Parliament. Pension Revision is intrinsically linked with wage revision .BSNL is not in a position to implement wage revision in view of its financial constraints. Moreover, there will be anomaly in Pension to the future retirees if pension revision is implemented without wage revision.

Shri.John Brittas MP countered these arguments of the Minister effectively and convincingly in his second letter to the Minister, of course, with the inputs provided by our CHQ. He categorically stated that Pension Revision of BSNL absorbed Pensioners is no way connected to the affordability condions or bad financial position of BSNL, as the pension contributions of these retirees with combined service were paid to the government, that too at the maximum of their pay scales. There was an agreement with the then Staff Federations during the formation of BSNL that pension of the BSNL absorbed retirees will be paid by the government. Necessary amendments were also made in CCS ( Pension) Rules, 1972 to this effect. Further, the 60:40 condition was also scrapped by a Cabinet decision in 2016. Thus, the entire liability of pension and pensionary benefits of BSNL absorbed pensioners solely lies with the government.

Regarding anomaly in Pension to the future retirees, Shri.John Brittas pointed out that anomalies are common in almost every pay revision and pension revision and being settled with appropriate formula.The letter when published was well appreciated by the Pensioners through out the country.

May be due to this, one of the pensioners organisations, which had lost faith in the settlement through negotiation and struggles, filed case in the PCAT, New Delhi has managed a letter from an MP to the Minister of Communications. In this letter, it is demanded to convert IDA pay scales to CDA pay scales and pension revision with CPC fitment. It is also suggested that the possible loss in pension be compensated with grant of personal pension.!! This letter was circulated widely and drew flak from their own members.

OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLE.

So this organisation has come out with another letter addressed to the Secretary, DoT. In this letter, they don’t prefer pension revision by conversion of IDA pay scales to CDA pay scales presumably due to the strong opposition. Once again they are for pension revision in IDA pay scales with 7th CPC fitment and have provided a calculation sheet also showing a benefit of 14.55% for both pre and post 2017 retirees.

The letter is intended to create illusions and utter confusion among the pensioners. Some innocent pensioners have started calculation of their benefit as if it is going to be ordered tomorrow. The fact is that no serious discussion has taken place in this regard. This organisation had claimed earlier also that their demand of 7th CPC fitment has been agreed to by DoT and DoP& PW. So let us not be befooled by these gimmicks.

We shall continue our efforts and fight for the pension revision with 15% fitment, recommended by the 3rd PRC and approved by the Government, delinkIng wage revision from 01-01-2017. Our demand on pension revision is based on Rule 37 A of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 and the precedence of pension revision from 01-01-2007. We cannot endanger the great achievements being enjoyed due to the first pay revision w e f 01-10-2000 and pension revision w e f 01-01-2007.

The District Conference of Dhenkanal in Odisha Circle was held on 30-01-2022. Com. A Dhupal, CHQ Vice President inaugurated the conference and explained the issues of the pensioners and the necessity to stregthen AIBDPA. Com.S R Das, Circle President, BSNLEU made a special address and narrated the pathetic situation in BSNL due to the pro-corporate policies of the Modi government. Com. R N Sahu, District Secretary presented the report and audited accounts and adopted after discussion. The conference unanimously elected the office bearers with Com. Pitambar Patra (President) Rabi Narayan Sahu (District Secretary) and Com.Benudhar Behera (Treasurer).

The two days GENERAL STRIKE of 23,24 February, 2022 called against the anti-people policies of Modi government by the Central Trade Unions and Independent Federations has been postponed to 28,29 March, 2022. The decision of the Central Trade Unions is in view of the elections to the five state legislatures and the scheduled budget session of the Parliament. Naturally, the Solidarity action also stands postponed.

Press Release

The following statement was issued to the press by the joint platform of Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations/Associations today – 29 th January 2022

DATES FOR TWO DAYS COUNTRYWIDE STRIKE CHANGED

The online meeting of the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations/ Associations held on 28.01.2022 has changed the dates for Two Days’ Countrywide General Strike Against the Anti-worker, Anti-people, Anti-national Policies of the Govt. to 28-29 March, 2022 from the earlier dates of 23-24 February, 2022. The meeting recalled the decision of the National Convention of Workers held on 11th November 2021 to organize two days countrywide General Strike during the Budget Session of Parliament in 2022 and accordingly the dates of the strike on 23-24th February 2022 were decided in the joint meeting of the Platform held on 3rd December 2021. The meeting noted that preparations for the strike have taken-off in several states and sectors, with joint state level conventions and even district level conventions having taken place in some states. However several states have also reported severe constraints placed on strike preparations due to rising third wave of Omicron pandemic. Besides, several factors such as one phase of state assembly elections in UP falling on 23rd February, local body elections in Tamilnadu, Odisha, West Bengal etc. close to 23-24 February were taken note of. Therefore the Joint Platform of the CTUs and Sectoral Federations/ Associations have decided to defer the General Strike dates to 28-29 March, 2022, when the second phase of the Budget Session of Parliament will actually be in session. The Joint Platform of CTUs calls upon the working people and their unions irrespective of affiliations to intensify the ongoing preparatory campaign and activities to make the Two Days Countrywide General Strike on 28-29 March 2022 a massive success to assert their pledge to Save the People and Save the Nation from the destructive, anti-national policy regime. The Joint Platform also calls upon the workers and their trade unions in the election-bound states to vigorously campaign for defeating the BJP Govt. whose policies have forced the National Convention of Workers to give a call for two days countrywide strike.

INTUC AITUC HMS CITU AIUTUC TUCC SEWA AICCTU LPF UTUC And Independent Sectoral Federations/Associations.