New Delhi: The non-implementation of revision and increase in pension payable in coal sector under CMPS-98 has caused the pension to stagnate since its implementation 23 years ago, leading to many Coal India Ltd (CIL) employees and widows getting pension as low as Rs 1,000 or Rs 500, respectively, said All India Association of Coal Executives (AIACE) Principal General Secretary PK Singh Rathor on Monday. At a media interaction held on Monday, the AIACE and All India Coal Pensioners Association (AICPA) said that they will go for a relay hunger-strike from July 25 at New Delhi, if concrete steps are not worked out at the earliest.
"All India Association of Coal Executives (AIACE) and All India Coal Pensioners Association (AICPA) have intensified activities for achieving demand of increase in pension of coal pensioners," said a statement.
"It is a fact that since the start of pension under CMPS 1998, in spite of provision of its review, no increase has been done in the past and many coal employees are getting pension as low as Rs 1,000. Spouses of some deceased coal employees are even getting less than Rs 500 as monthly pension which is quite insufficient to have bare minimum daily food item and lead a life," the statement said.
Rathor said that delegations from local branches of AIACE/AICPA from coal field areas of coal-bearing states are on the job of meeting local Members of Parliament (MP) to apprise them about the hardship of about 5 lakh coal pensioners and more than 50 lakh of their family members. "So far, 50 MPs have been approached and the target is to meet 200 MPs in order to convince them of the gravity of the situation and the need to persuade the government for redressal of pension grievances," said Rathor.
All members said that the pension once fixed at the time of retirement has remained constant for many pensioners for the entire life. Although the pension scheme provides review and revision every three years, it has never been done, they added. "On the intervention of PAC and CAG, some steps were initiated by the nodal Ministry of Coal from the year 2019, but there is a long way to go and no time bar has been fixed for resolution," said the members. It has been highlighted that the pension is contributory in nature, and retirees have been cheated grossly by the mismanagement of the pension fund, they added.
(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)