Talk with Chairperson, LIC

    1)As I am full with various disabilities & infirmities,as Varicose Veins & Cellulitis with both legs swollen,& Atrial Fibrillation of heart with rapid left ventricular beat ,sometimes crossing danger mark 90,95 ,etc,the question of stirring out does not arise,with tendency to fall & even at home my companion is Tripod to avoid untoward work & concern for better half. I knew we are missing a good,if not golden,opportunity to meet worthy Chairperson,Sri M.R.Kumar to know latest developments for Pensioners.Many times,in response to our  AIRIEF President inviting  suggestions for organisational improvement ,I had responded immediately with my considered views for onward march & quality improvement of wherewithal of OB/EC to be armed with all data, information,Charts & Tables to drive home AIRIEF viewpoint with better Thrust & Assertive presentation  to make Top Mgt reflect & ponder,& reconsider their stand for betterment of Pensioners Welfare.There is no substitute for direct face to face talks.

2)But, my heart was beating & I told Mrs SK that somehow I reach him & must know from horse's mouth the efforts made by Top Mgt & his thrust to hasten end-result, as time flies out.

I am deeply indebted to Sri Anand Tyagi who has always held aloft the torch for pensioners with his valuable contacts at all levels in LIC & GOI/MOF etc.He told me he comes on 7 Oct & stays for 8th too

  So, i started my work to ensure with Gods grace,ZMs Secretarial,some are secretive,some we have to stir to awaken them to face reality.2 AOs did not take the phone at all.3rd AO responded ,gave some details of his stay .

3)As window was open,& my horsesense told me to try after 10pm ,as he would be busy with SDMs Conference

I rang up at10 pm,I keep all records fairly ok, but energy levels down. No response.

Thanks to my prayers,on 8th Oct at 8 am,today,ring comes on my Mobile,lo,MRKumar,Chairman.I was delighted .

4)He wished me as TrueCallerwas there, it is a boon.iphone we just dont know who calls.Android phones are the best for contacts & closeness.

i)I greeted him for LIC 65th Anniversary,also Dassara best wishes & for the 3 Goddesses Ma Lakshmi,MaSaraswathi &  MaDurga to shower on LIC,his family,LIC fraternity,& ensuing Mega LIC with great expectations.

I told him I classify from Simple to Profound,expecting that Simple must simply be solved quickly & no postponement be there.I asked him if I can proceed in this direction.He said,OK,he is jotting also.

 a)Several Circulars are being sent to all LIC Offices from ED Per & ED OS & sorry we are ,that salutary practice of sending Circulars impinging on Employees & Pensioners being sent regularly to All Employees & Pensioners Fedns initiated by AIRIEF & implementedby then Chairman Sri Dinesh  K Mehrotra,discontinued.I spoke to EDPer MrRKDubey,he told me that concerned persons have been told but NOT done

 b)Every Chairman mentions Pensioners as worthy FOUNDERS but nothing concrete done.I brought to his notice that earlier SZMs conducted Founders Day Celebrations in a grand manner with Presentations of 3/4 RMswith charts,facts & utility etc.appreciated by audience, few Pensioners recollected experiences  of their good days,showered praise for man-management.Some distributed Notes.Normally Sri veteranSri GNSridharan & RBK were called to speak,Sri TSItharthans time pensioners abounded 360,410 for 2 years & Mr Thamodharan ZMs time 440app.Mementoes given,fine lunch,camaraderie NOW nothing of that sort.

I requested Chairperson to standardise& instruct ZMs to carry out as recognition for pensioners to really mean Fraternity.

 c)I pointed out reluctance to part with data,even when every month ZO sends Statement to CO,of RP.FP.Child Pensioners,Exgratiaetc.when we ask CO to give us All India Zonewise,DOwise same data Summary,never we could have.

d)I told him Pensioners Portal,after many years fup of our 3 page  valuable suggestions,was installed but incomplete,must be a reflection of early years Pension ers Directory with full particulars to develop nearness & for soluitions,.Even Central Govts Portal is superior & so too Union Bank Portal,with charts, Ready Reckoners, latest news insertions etc       

d)Another Option is long overdue for those pensioners who could not join for one reason or other GroupMediclaim

e)While RBI,Banks hold Tripartite Meetings of LIC ZO,TPA,Pensioners Fedn/Assns,LIC has not.It enables top resolve grievances, better grasp of issues,realistic TPA decisions, paves the way for stable premium & 1st hand info of New appliances & interventions with development of Medical Science  & hopefully included for Reimbursement of diseases cured with such Doctors prescriptions.

f)Sad Sir in your speech only Covid deaths of Employees were mentioned but greater agony for pensioners & some both Pensioner  & spouse died We need statistics of Employees & Pensioners Covid deaths with claims settled.Also RBI &other organisations appealed to their CO & amounts were prescribed & granted to those families to cope with life. 

5)Coming to other issues,I appealed to Chairperson to secure Notifications for 7/2019 & 10/2019 Board Resolutions for fixing pension as Average of last 10 months Basic Pay or Last drawn Pay whichever is higher to avoid Seniors in the interrugnum of old charter partly & new wage charter partly

& Family Pension as flat 30 % of Basic Pay

I pleaded with him to expedite as many have died,18,500 app &Ratio of FPto RP has shot up from 18 % to 45 % & in 2 Zones to 50 % & more.Outlay will be less

6)Super Sr citizens urgently need blessings as  You have approved grant of stepup of Basic Pension by 20%,30,40,50 & 100 % at ages 80,85,90,95 & 100 years.Can it be done in World Elders Day or World Security Day month ?

 7)I pleaded with him to grant SAME CMD Cash Medical Benefit rates to pensioners also,as we deserve much more facing crunch for Non hospitalisation treatment which amounts have swelled for Pensioners &Spouse.For all 60,000  pensioners,same rates as for Cadre bifurcation specified,Total works out to Rs 91.5 crores only.

When Pensioners got no arrears,no benefits like Employees,PLLI,Special Mly Allowance upto Rs13,250,already Midday Meals Coupon,Gratuity raised from Rs10 lacs to Rs20 lacs,honestly,Sir,pensioners deserve a good uplift in many ways.

8)Hon FM mentioned in IBA Meeting that old pensioners get pittance & so deserve fitment of pension ,why not to same grades for Respective cadres.Equally, Sir, she said FPensioners neglected long & so revision needed.

    In this context, emphatically we must appeal to you  that Outlay as AIRIEF mentioned in SLP & LICs reply a small difference only was noticeable & so we confirm outlay per month from 1/8/1997 to 2016 is very moderate .Era of PU WILL Not be Eternal as NPS started from May 2010,ALL Retirees now get Handsome Pension,Retirement Benefits are colossal  & is it not necessary  to go all out to help them to secure Pension revision with every wage revision which Hon FM cleartly echoed 

9)On LIC IPO when I raised queries on 2 streams,  foreign investments etc,he replied Committee appointed is going thro many issues & clearer picture may take some time.

DASSARA GREETINGS TO ONE & ALL,

RBKISHORE,PATRON,AIRIEF,  ED Retd LIC

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