Vasant Pimpalapure, All India General Secretary of Varishta Nagrik Parisangh, informed through a communiqué that ten points demand letter submitted by various pensioners unions affiliated to Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). The demands are very reasonable and pending for a very long time. He said, “We co-heartedly support the demands. We request your honor to look into it personally as we believe that your Government is taking care of the senior citizens on top priority.” At present, there are a number of pension schemes in force. There is no uniformity. Some are getting pensions over Rs 50,000 per month whereas lakhs of pensioners are getting pensions of just Rs 1,000 under EPS 95 scheme.
EPS 95 scheme needs to be scrapped immediately. Instead, they should be covered under the old pension scheme. This issue has been raised on various occasions in the EFPO meeting by the representatives of BMS. Even recently i.e. on March 4, 2021, the issue was raised in the meeting in a meeting held at Srinagar (J&K) but the Union Labour Minister postponed the issue till the next meeting.
Lakhs of pensioners are therefore disappointed as they were expecting some positive result. The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh through its resolution passed in the working Committee Meeting held on February 15th to 17th 2019 at Patliputra demands a uniform pension scheme i.e.50 %of last pay drawn with DA applicable from time to time. He requested to settle this burning issue once for all in order to give relief to lakhs of pensioners who are getting just meager pension.
Their Demands are
1. Pension should be fifty percent of the last drawn salary.
2. Link all types of pensions with the DA cost of living index.
3. Scrap new pension scheme and restart old pension scheme to all State and Central Government employees.
4. For interim relief minimum pension under eps95 should be rs 5000 and DA with Ayushmaan Bharat medical facility.
5. Better health scheme for all types of pensioners in old age.
6. Revise pension to all old pensioners in the insurance, banking sector.
7. Commutation of pension is revoked after 12 years instead of present 15 years for all commuted pensioners.
8. Start to cover under social security pension and health scheme for sailors, Asha, Anganwadi, and GDS employees.
9. Revise social security assistance given to old age, handicapped persons.
10.Constitute a high power committee to review the above demands periodically involving stakeholders.
