REVISION OF PENSION:
(Reproduced below is the text of a letter dated 21 March 2015 by
Shri L R Parab, Gen Secretary, RBREA,Mumbai, to the Hon'ble
Finance Minister as a sort of reminder to him to the letter
dated 1st Jan 2015 on Revision of Pension in RBI.)
“Kindly refer
to our detailed letter dated 1st Jan. 2015, on the
captioned
subject, sent to you by speed post on your office and
residential
addresses. The period of two months and three
weeks has
elapsed since then and we have not heard anything
in the matter.
We, therefore, express our anxiety as to whether
it has reached
to your worthy hands.
We now
understand that tomorrow you would make your
august
presence in the meeting of Central Board of Directors of
RBI, post
Budget Session of the Parliament. As such
thousands of
pensioners and employees of RBI are looking
forward for
your good gesture to them in the matter of updation
of pension. As an illustrious Finance Minister with legal
eminence,
you must have seriously observed the Supreme
Court's final
verdict on 17th March 2015 in the matter of One
Rank One
Pension (OROP) for Defence Personnel wherein
pension
updation has been granted .w.e.f. 1-1-2006.
We may be
permitted to add here that on 19th March 2015 we
have watched
the Rajyasabha proceedings in the matter of
'New Land Law'
wherein yourself spoke on points like
'Legislative
Competence', 'Obstructive Sadism' and 'Select
Committee
Rules' etc. Your fellow colleague was on points like
'totally
vindictive' and 'poisonous attitude'. Being outsider,
while I
refrain myself from commenting on proceedings of the
Rajyasabha,
we may certainly bring to your kind notice that the
treatment
meted out to RBI pensioners by BABUS of MoF is
the same
story. We have given details of their bias treatment to
us for a
decade, in our letter dated 1st Jan. 2015 in very
elaborate
manner. Here we give in brief some points.
Enrol at least one new member as a part of your duty to
strengthen the Association.
Remember Unity is our Strength.
DeeHeu³ee DemeesefMeSMeveuee yeUkeÀìer DeeCeC³eemeeþer
keÀle&J³e cnCetve efkeÀceeve SkeÀe efveJe=Êeeuee meYeemeo keÀ©ve I³ee.
ue#eele þsJee Sske̳e ner®e DeeHeueer leekeÀo !
·MoF's dictates to RBI to withdraw pension updation
granted in
2003 by the then Governor Dr Bimal Jalan is totally
illegal as
the Governor and the Central Board of Directors of
RBI are
competent in terms of Regulations 2(9)(f) and 5 of the
RBI Pension
Regulations 1990. The RBI Pension Regulations
are approved
by GOI under Section 58 of RBI Act, 1934 and
thereby
binding on the GOI / MoF. Then what is the legislative
backing for
MoF to come in the way of what the RBI Governor
has done?
·We are more
than 23000 pensioners at present and
many have left
for heavenly abode without availing their
legitimate
updation of pension. This is the sheer injustice to
senior citizens.
A common man's Government should not turn
a Nelson's eye
to this genuine problem and authorise the
Governor and the
Bank's Board to do the needful in the matter.
You may,
therefore, give your green signal to RBI Governor to
grant updation
of pension for every wage revision in the Bank
starting with
2002 wage settlement.
Keeping in
view the Supreme Court judgment dated 17th March
2015 in OROP
matter, we are under bona fide impressions that
your goodself
need not require further evidence to deliver
justice to us.
Sir, should
you need any further clarifications, I am at your
beckon call
please.
Sir, entire
RBI community is awaiting justice from you.
We shall ever
remember you for the way in which you deliver
justice to us.
We shall be
glad to have your reply at the earliest.
It was my wishful thinking that our Governor would
choose this
historic occasion of 80th formation day of RBI to
announce the
updation of pension. But I regret that we have once
again missed the
bus. There would not have been a better occasion
than to make use
of this memorable event to bring salvation and
satisfy the aspirations
of RBI retirees. It is equally
tragic that none of our retirees have
expressed or
shared my disappointment over this inaction by the
Governor. I
have lost all hopes on updation and this will not happen
during the
life time of very senior citizens like me and other seniors.
Just a few
days back our PM paid glowing tribute to our Governor for
his bold and
independent stand on various issues. This means he
has earned his
admiration and confidence. This was the best
occasion for
him to make use of PM's goodwill. We only hope better
counsel will
prevail over our Governor to act fast in the matter.
WISHFUL THINKING
The Annual
General Meeting of Reserve Bank Retired
Employees
Association, Thiruvananthapuram, was held on 28th
February 2015.
The AGM elected Sarvashri K R Kumar as
President and
K V Arvindakshan as the Secretary. New
Managing
Committee has 14 members, including office-bearers.
It is observed
from the Secretary’s Report that, among other
things, the
unit arranged a talk on Geriatrics by Dr. P S Rakesh
and also five
one-day picnics to various tourist locations. The
Association
has a Relief Fund Scheme being raised out of
contributions from members, out of which, during the year,
HOMAGE:
*It is
with profound sorrow we report the demise of our esteemed
colleague Shri
K W Korgaonkar who was ailing for quite some
time. He was 73. Erudite
and scholarly, Shri Korgaonkar had
earned a great reputation
in erstwhile ACD due to his efficiency,
devotion and above all,
his impeccable manners and
camaraderie. His loss is
immense especially to Ex-RBites as he
took active part in organising
felicitation functions and was also a
source of strength to
Hitguj because of his command over
Marathi and English. He
was Associate Editor of Hitguj. He
continued to work for the
bulletin even after his disassociation
from editorial committee.
He shunned publicity. His loss has left
a great void, which is
difficult to fill. May God Almighty give
strength and fortitude to
his family to bear this irreparable loss!
Shri Korgaonkar leaves
behind his wife, sons and grandchildren.
May his noble soul rest in
peace.
(Reproduced below is the text of the circular issued by
nd the United Forum from New Delhi on 22 March 2015)
**“At the call of the
UFRBOE, on short notice, the constituents of
the UFRBOE and the Retired
Employees Association
(Pensioners' Forum) of New
Delhi, mobilized both serving and
retired employees in
significant numbers and on an early and
cold morning on Sunday,
22nd March, 2015 at 7.30 AM. A large
gathering was present to
hand over the memorandum on the
twin issues of updation of
pension and opening of pension
option to the Governor and
the honourable members of the
Central Board of the
Reserve Bank of India. The format of
agitation was the same
that has been carried out the last
four years, a Silent
Protest Programme, with serving and
retired employees holding
placards in their hands, demanding
the resolution of the twin
pending issues of updation of pension
and opening of pension
option. As always, the Central Board
members were sympathetic
and finding it difficult to explain
the long delay and feeling
disturbed that issues remained
unresolved by the
Government of India. The Hon'ble
Governor, true to his
character, interacted with many retired
employees, waiting on the
pathway, trying to assuage their
deeply hurt feelings due
to non-implementation of updation of
pension. In his brief
interaction with the leaders of the
UFRBOE, he admitted that
he had no progress to report and
assured his continued
efforts to resolve the two issues. Later,
the leaders of the UFRBOE
addressed the large
gathering, congratulated
the constituents of UFRBOE and
Pensioners' Forum on their
effective mobilization, assuring
them of the continued and
protracted struggle of the UFRBOE
in getting the issues of
updation of pension and opening of
pension option resolved at
the earliest. The United Forum
stressed upon the new
challenges arisen due to proposed
amendments in the
functioning of the Bank and spoke of an
intensified struggle in
near future.”
P.S. - After the meeting Governor said that “Let us hope for the
best” while interacting with the demonstrators.
