Secretary-General BPS speech at 43rd AGM of AIFPA Chennai on 23rd July 022

 Secretary-General BPS speech at 43^rd AGM of AIFPA Chennai on 23^rd July 022

Good morning, Chennai, Good morning AIFPA, honourable AIFPA M C Members, Honourable guests on the Dais, Ladies & Gentlemen.

By the grace of God surviving the horrible covid-19 waves, after a long gap, I am once again with you.

We have all undergone very stressful days we lost several of our comrades many of our brothers & sisters lost their near & dear ones. I pray for peace for those who are not with us today. AGMs and Annual Conferences are the occasions when we meet our friends from far & near, share our pain & happiness, discuss the issues facing us & search for remedies.

Today is one such occasion when the representatives of many Associations have assembled here. I congratulate AIFPA management for its 43years of glorious service to the pensioners’ community. AIFPA & Bharat Pensioners Samaj which is completing its 67^th year of existence have been MOU partners with the pledge to struggle for common issues jointly & severely to ensure pensioners’ rights & wellbeing.

If we look back three decades, I can confidently say that sufficient could be achieved by the Federations & Associations to enable pensioners to live with dignity.

But still, deficiencies & disparities exist which we shall have to take care of in the coming years. Several of the issues raised by us, like an increase in FMA, an age-related additional pension from the age of 65 years, increment to those retired on 30^th June, MACP wef 1.1.2006. All India Pension Adalat Twice a year, Prelitigation grievance resolving mechanism, sensitization of Bank officials & creation of pension ombudsman to resolve pension-related issues with banks, ease of sanction of family pension to secondary pensioners, strengthening of grievance redressal mechanism, linking all C.G pensioners to one platform, Medical facilities at par in all Central Govt healthcare schemes etc were favourably considered by the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee. Their favourable recommendations & observations are recorded in their 110^th &113th reports.  

 

            Currently govt. is working out financial implications for the implementation of these recommendations. In the meantime, we like a nagging wife are after the Govt. for the early implementation of these recommendations.

Similarly, the issue of comprehensive health care through integration of all existing govt schemes was pleaded before the 7^th CPC whose recommendations vide their Para 9.5.18(ii) were favourable. However, looking to the indifferent attitude of the ministries and departments over this recommendation of the 7^th CPC and the shortcomings in the CGHS system which is the mother of two other schemes i.e., RELHS & CGHS. In March 2017 a petition was filed before the Rajya Sabha committee for petitions which came up for hearing in Nov. 2021.  On being asked by Rajya Sabha Secretariate BPS filed its written submission on the subject & then tendered oral evidence on 7^th June 022 which was received well by the committee & the suggestions given were appreciated. Some positive results can be expected.

Regarding, the sanction of secondary family pension i.e., other than the spouse: Due to our combined efforts, pressure is building on ministries and departments to launch special drives to clear pending cases. Southern Railway already launched such a drive. We are insisting on launching similar special drives by other Ministries and departments. The parliamentary committee has recommended that “Ministries & Departments of the Central Government be proactive, reach out to the family pensioners and assist them in claiming family pensions. The Committee has also recommended that the procedure of obtaining a medical certificate and disability certificate by children of a deceased Government Servant needs to be simplified”.

Improvement in the grievance redressal mechanism has been achieved. Now to close pension-related Grievances on CPENGRAM speaking order is required to be passed. If the aggrieved is not satisfied, a provision of appeal has been made, medical facility-related grievances are also in its ambit now. Priority will be given to redress grievances of super Sr citizens & family pensioners. Unresolved grievances will be decided in All India Pension Adalat. We are insisting on proper implementation. Each one of us should monitor it to bring out deficiencies if any. We hope that soon speech to text facility will also be provided for recording the grievance.

Digital life certificate through face recognition Aap: Our demand to enable pensioners to generate & submit digital life certificates from the comfort of four walls of their home has been accepted. Now you can generate & submit a digital life certificate to your pension disbursing authority through the face recognition App.

Our demand to connect all central government pensioners to one platform is under process. The Ministry of Railways has already agreed to bring Railway pensioners under the jurisdiction of DOP & PW.

In the Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha budget session 21-22 there was a spate of pensioners-related questions by the Honourable MPs.

All this could be achieved by joint efforts of BPS, AIFPA &NFRP Palakkad & our affiliates.

The purpose of this appraisal is to emphasize that the desired results can even be achieved through advocacy and persuasion, without hitting the streets & going to the courts. Remember, if the repeated movement of rope to draw water from the Well can make a mark on the stone slab at the edge of the Well; Our joint & repeated efforts in the right direction will also bear fruits.

Digital and Social platforms play a big role in all this. BPS had been sharing, all its representations with MOU partners, on social media, with MPs, concerned ministries & journalists through email and WhatsApp etc, which helped in creating a favourable Ambience.

Comrades, managing Pensioners organizations is entirely different than the trade unions, though at times we seek their support, we can’t afford confrontation with the administration. We must very diligently identify the issues with clinching justification, seek consensus from our comrades & then very patiently pursue it through advocacy without hitting the ego of the bureaucrats who finally decide the issue.

Nowadays, without ensuring compliance DOPPW is patting its back claiming that they have done a lot for pensioners to ensure their ease of living. But what is the ground reality? Claimants of secondary family pension (other than the spouse) are still being harassed, pension-related issues are still being closed w/o complete redress &speaking order, and pensioners are still being pushed to court seeking redress on issues already decided. Hospital after the hospital is withdrawing cashless service due to non-payment of bills & very low rates. Nodal Ministry under the Prime minister feels that their duty is over by framing rules, issuing OMS, corrigendum &notification, etc. We will have to make them understand that the DOP &PW must play a proactive role to ensure compliance, as they have the power of the Prime minister with them. The parliamentary committee also has made it clear to them.  I congratulate Comrade D. Balasubramanium & Comrade Krishna Murthy for very strongly raising this & other pensioners’ issues recently on 28.6.22 in the pensioners’ conference organized by DOPPW at Puducherry.

In the recent crisis in CGHS over non-payment of hospital bills, because of BPS pressure: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on 5.7.22 ordered clearing pending CGHS dues worth Rs 1,400 Crore within a month. However, we need to monitor it.

 

Friends: Combined, BPS, AIFPA Chennai & NFRP Palakkad represent over 20lac pensioners and family pensioners. Our strength is our affiliates & members. Out of these 20 lac pensioners/ family pensioners, I wish, that to start with 1000 men and women to connect with us on Social & Digital Media i.e., Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube & e-mail etc.

Whenever any of us i.e., BPS, AIFPA& NFRP Palakkad raise an issue on social and digital media. Rising above, departments & affiliations. Each one of these 1000 persons should repeat the same or repeat the issue in their own way. Share the original & their own to the maximum extent possible on social digital media platforms. Share it with concerned authorities, Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha MPS through e-mail & also share it with Journalists. If after 30 days no action is visible. Shoot RTI query online seeking the status of the issue & the representation with file notings. In addition, launch a Hashtag campaign on Twitter & video campaign on Youtube raising the related issue. Please help us & yourself by following this procedure.

Do not get disheartened if you do not get a positive result in the first instant. Combined efforts in the right direction always bear fruits. Remember, repeated movement of rope to draw water from the well makes a mark on the stone slab at the edge of the well.

WE WILL SUCCEED. HUM HONGE KAMYAB.

JAI HIND

S.C. Maheshwari

Secy. Genl. Bharat Pensioners Samaj

 Comment of BPS Patron Sh. S Suryanarayanan Former Addl. member Rly Bd :

 A very comprehensive coverage of issues with advice for perseverance and persuasion to achieve results! Very succinctly conveyed! 

Congratulations and Regards!

S Suryanarayanan