BPS & RREWA joint Agenda For 21st SCOVA meeting
For M/O P,PG & Pensions DOP & PW
1. Implementation of
web based Pensioners portal
Time bound grievance redressal &
real time dissemination of information are the two main ingredients of this
novel venture for the welfare of pensioners.
Unfortunately several ministries
especially the M/O Railways has not taken the issue seriously.
Grievances recorded by identified
Association are being dealt with in most casual & irresponsible manner so
much so that Grievances are being forwarded to incorrect destinations & are
being closed unilaterally on incorrect grounds w/o resolving. Out of many only
two cases are being quoted here to highlight the situation.
i. Complaint No :
P&PW/W/2010/00997 of 12/10/2010 followed by complaint No;
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3)
RELHS facilities to family pensioners, other than spouse, and to the
kids of Divorced & widowed dependent daughters.:
Widowed / Divorced / Unmarried
dependent daughters of Rly. Epmployees / Pensioners are included in the
definition of family members & get family Pension on their turn in all the
Central Government departments including Railways. Such family Pensioners &
their minor kids are provided healthcare facilities under CGHS of Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare as well as under ECHS of Ministry of Defence.
But Indian Railways have denied Health
care facility as well as Fixed Medical allowance in lieu of OPD to these Family
Pensioners
Para 612 (2) iii of Indian Railway
Medical Manual 2000 debars Widowed/Divorced / Unmarried dependent daughter
Family Pensioners from Joining ‘Retired Railway Employees Liberalized Health
Scheme-1997’. This discrimination against women and gender bias need immediate
rectification. A suitable amendment be immediately introduced to permit all
such family pensioners (i.e. other than the spouse) to join RELHS-97 for their
healthcare needs.
3 i) RELHS facilities to
dependent parents ; The then Rly
Minister in her budget speech on25th
February 2011 vide para 56
announced extension of medical facilities to both dependent father and mother of
railway employees.. Executive Order to this effect needs to be issued w/o
delay.
3ii) On 24th February
2010 during the budget speech Minister for Railways, vide para 51,
announced that Rly. outpatient Departments (OPD) and diagnostic centers will be
set up at Gurgaon & other cities. But there has been no progress on the
ground so far. This needs to be implemented without delay.
3iii) Separate
nominated days for Pensioners/family pensioners for specialist consultation in
Rly hospital.
In Railways specialist consultation is
available only in Central Hospitals at Zonal head quarters, which covers a
jurisdiction of more than a hundred Kilometers. In the absence of separate
consultation facilities for pensioners/family pensioners, they have to face
torture of standing for hours in the common queue and often they miss the
opportunity for specialist consultation on the same day of visit.. Thus to save
them from this inconvenience, it is desirable that a week day is nominated for
them for this purpose.
3iv) Inclusion of representatives
of identified Associations & SCOVA members in Rly Hospital grievance
committees.
Healthcare is a major issue with
pensioners. A number of complaints keep dropping in Federation/association
office about poor attention to pensioners in Rly hospitals and about doctors’
misbehavior. In the absence of a grievance committee with Pensioners’
representatives therein, these complaints are not properly addressed .Thus it
is desirable that the working of Rly
hospitals is streamlined on the basis of CGHS guidelines & Hospital
grievance committees are constituted with adequate representation of Pensioners
through identified associations & SCOVA members.
4) Allow dependents in Widow passes : In widow pass, only the mother
of the deceased employee/pensioner is allowed to be included as dependant.. It
is cruelty to debar a widow to include her own dependent children in the pass. Thus it is desirable to
allow dependents in the widow pass at
the same scale, as was allowed in the post retirement pass of her late husband
4i) Provision of passes to family
pensioners other than the widow:
The facility of widow passes was
introduced in Rlys in lieu of surrender of two sets of privilege ticket order
during the service life of the employee, as such it is desirable that after the
death of widow, the facility is passed on to the next family pensioner if any.
5. Widen scope of pension Adalat to
include all payment cases & to allow SCOVA members/representative as
well as representative of identified Associations to actively participate
Pension Adalats On RailwayS.
Master Circular 63 dt 12.10.95 (reiterated
vide No. E(W)2011/PA-1/4 dated 20.12.2011) Para 2.13 provides Pension Adalat at
Divisional level every 3 months interval. But these instructions are not being
followed. Number of Pensioners/Family Pensioners & their grievances have
considerably increased over the past one & a half decade. In the absence of
strict time line & punitive clause, Grievances recorded through Pensioners
Portal “CPENGRAM” are not being timely resolved by the Rly Admn, quite a number
of such grievances are either pending for over two years or have been
unilaterally closed w/o resolving. SCOVA meetings too are at best once a year
& the Forum has limited scope. An year is too long a time for the pensioner
who has outlived the normal life expectancy. Thus keeping up the spirit of M.C.
63, scope & periodicity of Pension
Adalat need to be increased urgently. Also:
(a) Make Pension Adalats
functional also at the Railway Board level.
(b) Widen scope of Pension Adalats to include all payment related
grievances.
(c) Ensure that in compliance of Para 2.13. of the Master circular 63 on
the subject, Pension Adalat at
Divisional level is held every three months.
6.
Un-discussed pending SCOVA 20th Agenda item 21(2): Renting/allotment on
license fee of office accommodation to Pensioners’ associations :
Railway administration is following a dual
policy in renting/allotment office
accommodation to Rly Pensioners’ Associations.
Following details will explain the
issue clearly:
1. With
reference to SCOVA 20th Agenda Item 21(2) -
Provision of office accommodation on rentto Pensioners Associations M/O
Railways (Railway Board) replied::
“Provision
exists in para-1963 of Indian Railways Engg Code for allotment of spare
buildings to house Staff Welfare Organizations at a nominal fee/rent. Zonal
Railways can be approached accordingly in the matter”. Para-1963 of I.R.Engg.
Code provides “ allotment with prior
approval of the Rly.Board”.
2.
With reference to Bharat Pensioners Samaj Memorandum dated 04.03.2011 Item
5(iii) M/O Railways (Railway Board) Vide their No E(W) 2011/PA-1/2 dated
02.01.2012 S.No.5(iii) replied:
“There
is no policy regarding allotment of office accommodation to Pensioners’
Associations. However, an item regarding grant in aid to pensioners’
associations was raised in the 20th SCOVA
meeting and the same is under examination by DOP &PW”.
3.
With reference to RTI Act query sought by Shri A.Venkatappaiah, in Case No.RTI
Cell /2010/010013050, M/O Railways
(Railway Board) stated:
“Railway
quarters and buildings not required for housing railway staff or other railway
purposes may at the discretion of the General Manager be let, in consultation
with the Financial Adviser, to outsiders, on the highest rent that can be
secured. This power may, subject to such restrictions as the General Manager
may impose, be delegated to officers not below the rank of Divisional Manager”
4.In
case of another RTI enquiry regarding
allotment of office accommodation to a particular Pensioners’ Association
.Railway administration vide DRM (P) Guntur vide his No
SCR/PGNT/740/3/Vol.VII/RTI Act dated 30.06.2011 concluded.:
“No
prior approval of financial advisor or Rly Board is required since Rly
pensioners Associations being welfare organization do not come under the ambit
of outsiders as mentioned in Rly Bd reply in RTI Case No.RTI Cell
/2010/010013050 and that allotment to
Rly. Pensioners association can be done in accordance with Rly Board Letter No
79/W2/18/130/0 of 12th August 1980 on a nominal rent as amended from time to
time” and rented out a RB Type II accommodation @ Rs 1000/- per year, to a
particular association at Guntur, that too, cancelling earlier allotment done
to another association w/o valid reason.
Whereas Rs 6440/- licence fee with provision of yearly
increase, is being charged from NF Rly Pensioners’ association for a strip of 675 sft unbuilt area in Rly
colony DTS Hill/Lumding, Assam which is much higher than the market rate there.
Thus with reference to allotment/renting of accommodation to
Welfare organizations such as ‘Pensioners Association’ no norms are being
followed and as is clear from the examples sited in fore going Para & in Agenda item 21(2) of the 20th SCOVA.
Several allotments have been given on the whims & fancies of S,C. Rly
officers concerned. May lead to corrupt practices.
As such, in the interest of transparency and fairness. Rly
Board, should lay down definite parameters & norms for allotment on
rent/license fee of office accommodation to Pensioners Associations
For M/O Defence
1..Refusal by PCDA(P) Allahabad to issue revised PPO to pre 2006
pensioners & family pensioners;
GREF Records Dighi Camp Pune vide letter
No2602/137/NER (P) dated 06.3.2012 & Director Genl. Border Roads vide
No15175/RO/DGBR/37/EIC “C” dated 16.3.2012. have informed that:
PCDA(P)Allahabad has refused to issue
revised PPOs to Pre2006 Pensioners & Family Pensioners with the result that
several of them are deprived of the benefit of modified parity (reg. minimum
pension/family pension) and old age additional pension/family pension. Issue
need to be sorted out immediately.
2.Two family pension to widows of
reemployed ex servicemen:
As per Govt of India decision No (21)
published below rule 54 of the CCS (Pension) Rules 1972 dependent parents and
widowed / divorced daughters were also
included in the definition of family with effect from 1-1-1996. An income
criterion for dependency was prescribed. Now Government of India, Dept. of
Pension & P.W vide O.M. 1/11/2011-P&PW (E) dated 30-11-2011 have
clarified that “ Family pension admissible to a beneficiary in respect of one deceased
employee / pensioners is not to be counted as income for the purpose of
determination of another family pension”.
On the
death of a military pensioner his wife will be entitled for family pension
under the military pension rules. If her unmarried son serving under another
ministry also dies then she will be entitled for 2nd family pension. The family
pension being drawn from the military source shall not be counted as income for
the determination of eligibility for 2nd family pension. If for two
different spells of service rendered by two different persons under two
different ministries one common family member can be entitled for two family
pensions, then why not for two different spells of service rendered by one
person under two different ministries, his family is not entitled for two
family pensions.
3.Refusal
to sanction Family pension to dependent daughters by defence authorities
on the plea that the employee during his
service life did not include the
name in the details of dependents.
This attitude of the defence
authorities is causing undue hardship to Widowed/Divorced daughters in whose
case event occurred after the retirement of their parents.
In cases where no office records are
available self declaration of dependency and the legal heir certificate issued
by court for the specific purpose of Family pension be accepted as a valid
document to claim family pension.
4.CDS canteen facilities to defence civilians:
Defence Services Civilian Pensioners should be
entitled for CSD Canteen facility because ; (Firstly) they are being paid
pension from Defence Services Estimates and their entitlement is covered under
para 4 (b) of Army Order No 02/2006 and (Secondly) they are ex-servicemen as
per laid down definition and all ex-servicemen are entitled for CSD Canteen
facili
M/O Finance
1.Stepping up FMA
INCREASE FMA (FIXED MEDICAL ALLOWANCE) TO RS 1200 PM:
i. The meager amount of Fixed Medical allowance (FMA) of Rs 300 P.M. in lieu of, day to day OPD facility was sanctioned w.e.f. 01.09.2008 on the basis of cost of OPD treatment per card holder under CGHS during the year 2003-2004, which has increased by more than 6 times since then.
ii. As per the figure disclosed by M/O Health & Family Welfare under RTI Act 2005, the Average cost of OPD treatment per card holder under CGHS during the year 2007-2008 went up to Rs 1369/-PM. This has further gone up considerably since then. M/O Labour & Employment, is already paying Rs 1200/- as FMA to its beneficiaries. It is therefore, urged that to help elderly Pensioners to look after their health, FMA for all C.G. Pensioners be raised to at least Rs 1200/- PM linking it to Dearness Relief for automatic further increase. Especially as Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have no objection in raising FMA from Rs 300/- to Rs1200 P.M as intimated vide their number MOH &FW F.No20020/45/2012-CGHS (P) dt 22.02.2012.
iii Adequate raise in FMA will encourage a good number of Pensioners to opt out of OPD facility, which will reduce overcrowding in hospital. OPD through Insurance is likely to cost much more to the Govt. As such the proposal for raising Fixed Medical allowance to Pensioners is fully justified & is financially viable.
iv. EXEMPT FMA FROM INCOME TAX: Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) is a compensatory allowance to reimburse the medical expenses. As Medical Reimbursement is not taxable, FMA should also be exempted from income Tax. ty.Thus this facility be restored to them w/o further delay
ForM/O
Finance
2.Incorrect implementation of modified parity
as recommended by 6th CPC :
The principle of modified
parity as recommended by the V CPC and accepted by the 6th CPC and
then accepted by the Central Government vide their Notification in the Gazette
of India dated 29.8.2008 provides that revised pension in no case shall be
lower than 50% of the sum of the minimum of the pay in the Pay Band and Grade
Pay corresponding to revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired.
The `Govt. of India interpreted minimum of pay in the Pay Band as minimum of
the Pay Band. This interpretation is erroneous and not acceptable. It would
mean that a pre-2006 retiree in S -29 grade retired in December, 2005 will get
his pension fixed at ` 23,700/-
and another officer who retired in January 2006 @ the minimum of the pay will
get his pension fixed at ` 27,350/-.
This is against the principle of equity and justice similar is the fate of all
other similarly placed pensioners. This hits the very principle of the modified
parity which was never intended by the
Pay Commission or by Central Government.
It is thus evident that the
clarificatory OM dt. 3.10.2008 and further OM dt. 14.10.2008 and OM
dt.11.2.2009, whereby representation was rejected by common order, are totally
unjust and uncalled for. It is, therefore, requested that pension of all
pre-2006 pensioners be refixed wef 01.01.2006, based on the resolution
(Notification) dt.29.8.2008 & OM No FNo 38/37/08-P & PW (A)
date.01.09.2008 .
3. 50% DR
merger
Merger of DR with
pension whenever it goes above 50%:-
The Pension of Central
Govt. Pensioners undergo revision only once in 10 to 13 years during which
period the pension structure gets seriously disaligned, fifty % increase in
prices takes place in less than 5 years, this result in considerable damage to
the financial position of the pensioner with otherwise inadequate Pension. As admitted by Sh Montek Singh Deputy Chair man
planning commission in his statement to PTI on 27.2.2008 DA does not adequately
take care of inflation. As on date, compared to 01.01.2006 price rise is 152%
where as DR sanctioned is only 65% . All
The working employees are getting some automatic relief by way of 25%
increase in their allowances with every 50% rise in Dearness allowance. As
pensioners do not get any allowances, they feel cheated. In order to strike a
balance, DR should be merged with Pension whenever it goes beyond 50% or
pension be revised every 5 years.
4.Restoration of Commutation in 12 yrs
Restoration of
Commuted Portion of Pension in 12 years: -
The commuted value of
pension is calculated with reference to a commutation table based on the
mortality rate among pensioners & the recovery of interest at a fixed rate
of 4.75% per annum. These tables were revised in Nov 63, Nov 67, March 1971
& now latest by CPC 6. Years of purchase have been revised to the benefit of govt. but the years of restoration have not been
revised or reviewed. Average life expectancy in 1963 was 40 yrs where as life
expectancy now, is 18 years at 60 years i.e. it is at 78 yrs now.. Thus
percentage of recovery today is very high as compared to 1963.Therefore, period
of restoration of commuted value need immediate revision.
The commuted amount along with interest
element stands fully adjusted in 12 years. That is why, States are restoring
commuted portion of pension of their pensioners in 12 years. Thus there is no
reason why the Central Govt. should also not restore it in 12 years, as was
recommended by 5th CPC more than 10 years back vide their Para
136.19.
For M/O/ H &FW
1.Merger of 19 P& T dispensaries in CGHS in
12 cities-
Item 6.21 of 20th
SCOVA meeting is still pending. The merger may be expedited.
2.Grievances Committees at the Additional Director (CGHS) Level at
Delhi :
Grievances
Committees consisting of representatives of pensioners and serving employees
are successfully functioning in cities other than Delhi. However, no such
grievances machinery is available at the Additional Directors of various CGHS
Zones at Delhi. Consequently, important issues like settlement of reimbursement
of medical expenses are out of the purview of any scrutiny at these zones. It
is requested that Grievances Committee with representatives of Pensioners be
constituted at Additional Director level at Delhi without any further delay.
2.i)A similar grievance committee at
national level may also be constituted.
2ii) Appointment of Pensioner as
Welfare officer (CGHS Dispensary) : There should be no restriction on
appointment of a pensioner as Welfare officer (CGHS Dispensary)
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