FEDERATION OF RETIRED LIC CLASS I OFFICERS' ASSOCIATIONS
President : N.P. Bali 705, Sur, Veena Saaz, Thakur Complex, Kandivali (East), Mumbai - 400 101 Mob : 9820324213 Email Id - npbali@hotmail.com | General Secretary : D Krishnan No.6/1, Sreshta Riverside Apartments, Wood Creek Road, Nandambakkam, Chennai - 600089 Tel : 9176635967 / 044 42850049. Email Id - dkrishnan1@gmail.com |
Ecircular No.DK/72 18-06-2019
Friends,
As indicated in one of my earlier communications, we have sent in some suggestions for inclusion in the Agenda for Pre-Budget discussions. The alert came in the form of a suggestion from one of our very active members of the Chennai Association, Sri Y Baghyanath. His old colleague in Dharwad, Sri Ashok Joshi , is currently in the leadership of the BMS group (NOIW) of Associations. His organisation has been invited to attend the Pre-Budget discussions at Delhi, and any proposals for inclusion in the discussions needed to be routed through him. We sent it in somewhat of a hurry as the deadline indicated for receiving suggestions was nearly over, before we had any wind of it.
And here then is the copy of our communication in this behalf:
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FEDERATION OF RETIRED LIC CLASS I OFFICERS' ASSOCIATIONS
Suggestions for Central Govt. Budget Proposals
1. Tribunal for Pensioners.
Pensioners are mostly in the age range of 60 to 90. They are hapless in several ways. Redressal of their grievances is subjected to several hardships, undue financial burden and inordinate delay. To cite an example, LIC Pensioners' petitions are shuttling up and down in multiple courts, and no finality is reached even after 21 years, and spending crores of rupees. They can ill-afford to sustain this time delay when their average retired life span itself would be around 10 years at the maximum on a ball park estimate.
HENCE: The best solution is to set up a Tribunal, at State Capitals with High Court Powers and a Central one at appropriate center, with the judicial powers of Division Bench. This will incidentally reduce the pressure on the High Court, and Apex Court as well, to handle the litigation of common citizens.
2. Family Pension
Once upon a time, family pension was at 50% of employee's pension, which slowly dwindled down to less than 20%. This is unfair. Just because, the employee-pensioner dies, his family cannot be brought down to one-fifth of living condition.
HENCE: Organization Pension Rules, as long as Defined Pension exists, be improved to make Family Pension as 40% minimum (if necessary, with Government subsidy as a form of social security.)
3. Pension Revision
Old pensioners in many organizations are stuck with the pension that they were drawing at the time of retirement, whereas wage revisions from time to time, makes later retirees draw much higher pension. Their drawing higher pension is legitimate. But leaving the old pensioners stagnating without relief of parity, is cruel, and is devoid of social justice.
HENCE: Whenever wage revision takes place in any organization, pension revision also has to be considered, as a form of fair and equitable measure of social security.
4. Standard Deduction
Pensioners are subjected to several hardship and exorbitant medical expenses, despite some nominal insurance relief. Pension if taxed, in the same way as today, poses financial hardship to the senior and super senior citizens.
HENCE: The standard deduction be hiked by 50% for senior citizens aged 60-80 and be doubled for super seniors aged above 80.
D.Krishnan General Secretary.
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The NOIW , under the leadership of Sri Ashok Joshi, has also sent in a Memorandum to the new Finance Minister, Madam Nirmala Sitharaman. I must admit that , though a bit too lengthy for a Minister, it is perhaps the most comprehensive document on the points regarding Pensioners. I would very much have desired to reproduce the Memorandum in full because of its comprehensiveness, on all issues faced by the Pensioners, but it would have been too long to read, and our members would start wondering whether I am drowning them in Circulars, that test their patience. But it is certainly worth a read.
I shall here only indicate the points which are detailed there:
1. Upgradation of Pension to all Pensioners & 100% DR Neutralization to pre-97 Retirees;
2.Family Pension;
3. Increased Pension to Pensioners over age 80;
4. Points of difficulty in the manner the Final Option for Pension is offered, particularly for the VRS optees & those who had Resigned after over 20 years service etc.
5. Seeking implementation of M C Jain Order of SC, for similarly placed 1992-93 Retirees.
6. Effective Date for Gratuity Act (Amendment) --- benefit to be given from 2016 as for Central Govt. Employees.
All the above points carry very good reasoning, as to why it should be done as suggested.
With Greetings
D.Krishnan
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