Archives-News
Com. R L Kapoor reports from New Delhi that Department of Telecom has sent their comments on our memorandum to the 7th Central Pay Commission.
One Mr. Lambodharan, who belongs to Kerala, retired as a DGM from Madurai, Tamilnadu. He took voluntary retirement due to failing health. After retirement his health deteriorated. He does not remember anything. He is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Recently, his family approached our Association. They informed that Mr. Lambodharan has not yet received the pension revision with effect from 1-1-2007. Our Kerala Circle President, Com. Gopala Pillai, checked the documents and found that Pr. CCA, Tamilnadu had issued revision orders in 2011 itself but the State Bank of India did not act upon it. Com. Gopala Pillai and Com. Ravikumar (Trivandrum District Treasurer) made all calculations. More than a sum of Rs 8 lakhs was due to the pensioner. Com. Gopala Pillai went to the SBI office in Trivandrum, along with the pensioner and his family, and took up the case with the concerned officers there.
On 17th August 2015, Mr. Lambodharan received a sum of Rs 6.78 lakh from the bank as the first installment of arrears. Very next day, on 18th August 2015, Mr. Lambodharan, expired due to heart attack!
Human Life is really strange. Stranger than fiction sometimes.
The ex-servicemen are demanding OROP implementation from April 2014, as was earlier promised to them, ahead of the 7th Pay Commission coming into force from 2016.
17-8-2015:
NEW DELHI: Military veterans on Monday stepped-up their agitation against the government's failure to implement the much-promised one-rank, one-pension (OROP) for them, with two ex-servicemen launching a fast unto death and others deciding to boycott all official functions. What added to the escalating pressure on the NDA government — already grappling with the task of finding an estimated Rs 16,600 crore outgo if OROP implementation takes effect from 2014 (around Rs 8,300 crore per year) for the over 25 lakh veterans — was an open letter to PM Narendra Modi by 10 former service chiefs on Monday.
Urging the PM to "expeditiously settle" the OROP imbroglio in "an urgent timeframe", the chiefs warned that any further delay would be "at the cost of damaging the pride of veterans and lowering the morale of armed forces", which the nation could ill-afford in the long run.
The High Court judgement copy was delivered today, 17th August 2015 only.
High Court rejected the arguments of Department of Telecom and upheld the CAT judgement asking DoT to count extra increment for fixing pension, even if is over and above the maximum of pay scale.
Contrary to our impression gathered during our recent visit to New Delhi and discussion with Chairman and Member (F) of Telecom Commission, we receive the disturbing information that Department of Expenditure is delaying the case by asking DoT to supply number of data.
If the DoT asks BSNL Corporate Office to collect the data and supply the same, then, it will not come in the near future. During the last five years, Corporate Office could not collect any data from circles within the prescribed time limit.
Honourable Prime Minister has assured “maximum governance”. But, our experience is just the opposite. A benefit given to central government pensioners eleven years ago is still denied to BSNL retirees who are also central government pensioners. A benefit granted to BSNL serving staff two years ago is denied to pensioners.
Some leaders want “automatic pension revision linked with pay revision in BSNL”
Then, why the 78.2% benefit is not yet given automatic?
Com. Shiv Gopal Sharma, Secretary, Staff Side (JCM) met the chairman and secretary of the 7th CPC. He gathered the impression that the 7th CPC report may be delayed by one month.Earlier, it was told that the CPC may submit its report by 28th August 2015. Now, it is understood that the Report will be submitted by end of September 2015 only.
According to the report appeared in Economic Times,
Shri Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister has expressed a serious concern about rising pension bill.
The Honourable minister has placed a statement in the Parliament stating that
“........ The Pension bill will rise from Rupees 88 thousand core to 102 thousand crore next year, when the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations are implemented....”
It means that the pension will increase at an average by 15.79 percent when the 7th CPC report is implemented. In the same statement it is mentioned that normal yearly increase in pension bill is around 9 percent.
That means the additional increase on account of 7th CPC report is only 7 percent.
7th CPC has not yet prepared the report.
But, Finance Minister has some information about the recommendations....!!
On 12-8-2015, the Corporate Office of BSNL sent a new letter to all circles to intimate the number of BSNL non-executive staff who had faced anomaly/aberration in pay when the CDA scales were converted into IDA scales in 2000. BSNL CO is collecting the data after 15 years !!!!
Corporate Office collected the same data several times in the past. All details are available in the Corporate Office. It is not understood why the CO wanted same figures again now.
Nobody has studied the anomaly case properly.
Com. R L Kapoor, New Delhi informs:
The case filed by us (OA No 2173/2014) was listed for hearing by the Double Bench of Principal CAT for 12th August 2015. But it was not heard on 12-8-2015 as the Department of Telecom has changed its advocate. New Advocate wanted time to study the case. The case is now posted to 8th October 2015.
This is another method to delay a court case.
Since the Hon’ble Minister of Communications Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad was busy in some other meeting, we could not meet him personally. However, we made over the invitation for our All India Conference to his office.
Com. P.S.Raman Kutty and Com. G.Natarajan met Shri Anupam Shrivatsava CMD BSNL personally and invited him to the All India Conference.
MEETING WITH MEMBER (FINANCE):
Com. D.Gopalakrishnan, Com. P.Gangadhara Rao, Com.S.Gunasekaran and Com. R.L.Kapoor met Smt. Annie Moraes Member (Fin) and had a detailed discussion for the second time. Member (Fin) informed that her office has not received query from Department of Expenditure on 78.2 IDA case. We appraised her on the need of holding a Pension Adalat at national level. Member (F) wanted data of cases pending at national level to be settled in co-ordination with BSNL authorities. We assured that we would supply the data very soon.
MEETING with UNDER SECRETARY (Admin): We met Smt. Anuradha Ganesh Under Secretary (Admn) in Department of Telecom and requested her to expedite the comments from Department of Telecom on our memorandum to the VII CPC. She assured that it would be sent very soon.
MEETING with DIRECTOR (Establishment): We met Shri P.Khanna Dir (Estt) and discussed the case of extra increment. Dir (Estt) assured that he would examine the case. Full Details will be supplied through the next circular.
MEETING WITH DIRECTOR (HR) BSNL Mrs. Sujatha Ray on 3-8-2015.
Our leaders G.Natarajan, P.Gangadhara Rao, S.Gunasekaran and Sisodia CS NTR met her discussed the following issues:
- 1.BSNL MRS: Dir (HR) told that we are working out a comprehensive medi-claim scheme for in-patient treatment. Pensioners’ interest will be taken care of while finalizing the scheme. The problem with ERP will be sorted out.
- 2.Quarters for Spouse: Will be examined
- 3.Rent free telephone in some circles: The concession is being limited to local calls only. We demanded that such restriction should be removed. She assured that a favourable note prepared already would be placed for BSNL Board approval
Today, on 5-8-2015, on behalf of our Association, Com. P.S.Raman Kutty, Com. D.Gopalakrishnan and Com. G.Natarajan met Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare Shri Devendra Chaudhary at his office. We invited him for the ensuing All India Conference at Bangalore and he has immediately accepted our invitation and agreed to attend our AIC. There were some probing questions about the future pension revision of BSNL pensioners. We explained our position in detail which was appreciated by him. He also wanted some brief note about the problem to be discussed in the All India Conference and our leaders assured to provide it shortly. On inclusion of our Association’s name in the list of identified Pensioners’ Associations, our leaders presented a letter and he agreed to consider the same.
We had a fruitful meeting for 45 minutes between 1745 and 1830 hours with Shri Rakesh Darg IAS, Secretary Telecom. Smt. Annie Moraes, Member (Fin) was also present. Our Association was represented by PSR President, DG Vice President, GN General Secretary, P.Gangadhara Rao AGS, S.Gunasekaran Treasurer,
Issues Discussed:
1.78.2 IDA: We conveyed our serious concern over the undue delay in sending the Cabinet Note to Cabinet even though Secretary assured to send it within 15 days on 26-3-2015. We pointed out the transaction of business rule which says that DOT can send the note to the cabinet even if the nodal ministries do not send their comments within 15 days. In the instant case, 45 days are already over. In response, Secretary Telecom appreciated the above point, but he said that if DOT sends the note without comments from DOE particularly, the cabinet may return the file causing further delay. However, DOT shall take all efforts to obtain the comments from DOE without further delay and send the final cabinet note soon.
We said that once the cabinet approves, the order along with Ready Reckoner should be circulated and the order should contain specific time frame for implementation. In this connection, we pointed out when the DOT issued the order on 15-3-2011, it was endorsed by
2.FUTURE PENSION REVISION:
A detailed discussion took place on this issue. We argued firmly that the PRC cannot suggest any Pension revision. We pointed out that first pension fixation is only linked with pay structure. Subsequent pension revision takes place based on existing pension/family pension plus DR at that point of time and a recommended fitment benefit and not linked with pay. PRC is only for the Executives. For non-executives, it is based on bargaining capacity and affordability of the organization.
We pointed out that our memorandum was forwarded by VII CPC to DOT for comments on 15-1-2015. But DOT has not yet offered its comments. Secretary after hearing our argument, finally said that DOT shall send its views on our memorandum to 7th CPC very soon. He also said that DOT will take up the next pension revision for BSNL pensioners with concerned department after the 7th CPC submits its report.
3.We requested the Secretary DOT to conduct Pension Adalat at National level at least once in 6 months because, there are certain policy issues involving both DOT and BSNL. Secretary agreed to the proposal.
Later, we met Member (Services) and as per his direction, we met DDG (Estt) Shri S.K.Jain and had a detailed discussion on 7th CPC also. In toto, the meeting was very fruitful and purposeful
