NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE
OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS.
(Registered under the
T.U. Act.No. RTU01/2021.Dated.7.01.2021
PAN No.
AAEAN8586F
Website:
nccpahq.blogspot.in. President: Com. Shiv Gopal Mishra. (97176 47594)
E mail: nccpahq@gmail.com. Secretary General: Com. K.K.N. Kutty.
(98110 48303)
13.c Feroze Shah
Road,
New Delhi. 110 001
Dated: 09.07.2022
Dear Comrade,
National Executive
of NCCPA
The National Executive
of NCCPA met at AIRF office on 28th June, 2022. Com. Shiv Gopal Misra presided over the
meeting. The meeting had the physical presence of 21 members of the National
Executive and 7 comrades joined the meeting through the virtual platform. The decisions taken at the meeting are as under:
-
Com. President in his
opening remarks said that the NCCPA could not meet on physical platform for
about two years due to pandemic. Unlike
organizations of the working employees, though meetings were held through virtual
platform it was not very effective.
Though the mobile phone communication system has become all pervasive
and universal the pensioner community, he added, for obvious reasons would like
to have print communications and physical meetings. He then explained the pains
undertaken by the NCCPA and the Staff Side JCM to bring to the notice of the
Government of the problems and demands of the pensioners especially arisen
during the pandemic period. He expressed
happiness over the holding of the meeting on physical platform as it has
provided the opportunity to see each other.
He also expressed happiness over the efforts undertaken by some of the
comrades, who were unable to go over to Delhi to attend the meeting to join the
deliberation through virtual platform.
Com. KKN Kutty the Secretary
General presented the agenda slated for discussion at the meeting and obtained
the approval of the house. Some comrades raised certain matters for
discussion. It was agreed that those
issues would be discussed when the last items is taken up i.e. any other matter
with the permission of the Chair. The issues slated in the agenda were
discussed at length. The following
decisions were taken.
(a)
Review of programmes of actions: The meeting noted that
all units have carried out the programme of actions viz. solidarity support for
the general strike action on 28th and 29th March, 2022
and the independent programme of dharna to highlight the 110th
report of the standing committee of the Parliament. chalked out and circulated and have generally
elicited good participation.
(b)
The Secretary General will circulate
and place on website the statement of account prepared and submitted to the
Registrar of Trade Unions. He will also
place a due statement on the website. The affiliates and units have agreed to
make the payment immediately thereafter. He thanked Com. S.K. Sharma (Jaipur)
and Com. Gupta (PNB) for the strenuous efforts to put in by them to get the
NCCPA registered under the T.U. Act as also in submitting the accounts
documents to the Registrar.
(c)
The members who spoke on the subject were appreciative
of the recommendation of the Parliamentary committee and wanted the NCCPA to
utilize it. While agreeing with the sentiments expressed by the members, and
assuring that NCCPA would certainly make use of it and it was only the NCCPA
which organized a programme specifically for it, the Secretary General said
that much hope must not be pinned on those suggestions as the Government was
not bound to accept the recommendation of the Standing Committee. He said that many are taking the view that
the recommendation of the standing committee is part of the scheme of selling
dreams to assuage the otherwise enraged feeling of the pensioners.
(d)
Struggle for getting back the DR impounded by the
Government; common issues like NPS; formulation of common pension demand for
the entire pensioner community etc. were discussed together. Com. President
detailed the efforts undertaken by him as the Secretary Staff Side to bring to
the notice of the Government, the discontent of the employees and pensioners
over the action of impounding. He said
that no such statement as has been made out at the SCOVA meeting had been made
by the Cabinet Secretary at any point of time.
He assured the house that the united platform of organisations participating
in the National Jca will subject the issue to discussion and will take
appropriate decision. In the matter of
withdrawal of NPS and restoring of OPS, he said that the pensioner community is
duty bound to support any struggle when it is waged by the working
employees. Majority of the working
employees are those covered by the New Pension scheme and every one of them is
concerned of it.
Com. Secretary General
placed the idea of having a common formulation for all pensioners, especially
for those who retired from the Central Government and the Central Public Sector
Undertaking. Taking into account that
varying formulations are in existence in Public Sector, he suggested the
following:
(i)
To demand that all retired personnel from the Central
Government and Central Public Sector undertaking must have atleast 75% of the
last pay drawn as their pension and such pension must be cost indexed;
(ii)
To have health care facilities throughout the life with
empanelled hospitals for in-patient treatment.
(iii)
To have a permanent negotiating forum catering to all
pensioners and periodical pension revision system.
The house debated on
the issue but expressed the opinion that the proposal must be circulated for
wider acceptance and then taken for pursuance.
The house also decided that on
the demands, which are common to employees and pensioners, agitational
programmes must be mounted and campaign undertaken so that the public opinion
in favour of the employees and pensioners could be roused before the country go
in for general election in 2004.
(e) Pursuing the demand through litigation.
Com. President said
that he was of the opinion that the
organization except in exceptional situation should avoid litigation as the
outcome of such action need not necessarily be in favour of the workers and
employees. Once the court gives a
verdict against them, the Government takes an adamant stand. He recalled how an uninterested person had
filed the case in the Delhi High Court against the Government’s decision on
impounding the DA, which was not argued properly which resulted in the
dismissal of the case. He said that
such cases were being filed by those persons who must be construed to be the
tools of the government. He also cited the case of MACP before the Supreme
Court. While it would be difficult to
stop people going to court, the organizations should take care to implead in such cases at the
appropriate time Com. Secretary General said that the litigation unlike in the
past has become very costly and must be cautiously embarks upon Decision must be taken however in exceptional
case to approach the court when there is violation of the fundamental rights of
the employees and pensioners. He was of
the opinion that the denial of DA/DR
issue is certainly one of them but campaign will have to be unleashed to garner
public support to ensure that there is a favorable decision from the Court
(f) Declining health care facilities. CGHS.
The meeting noted that the health care facilities have declined
significantly. Hospitals once empanelled
have withdrawn for want of payment.
Rates of various procedures have not been revised with the result the
beneficiaries are put to losses. The
reimbursement of expenses incurred by the beneficiaries of CGHS has been
getting delayed. Many dispensaries and well ness centres were functioning
without sufficient staff and doctors. Of the 108 centres. sanctioned wellness
centers. are yet to be opened in more
than 30 Stations. The CGHS Panchayats
being organized by the Department of
Pension had been disappointing and have turned out to be only a PR
exercise. It was the consensus arrived
at the meeting that some demonstrative actions are needed at the filed levels
and at Delhi before the Health Ministry office.
The issue must be discussed with all working employees’ organizations
for forging unity to hold action programme at the Central Place. The
possibility of holding filed level demonstration must be explored and carried
out without further delay to highlight the problems connected with declining
health care facilities. The pensioners of Banking sector, where the health care
is either insufficient or not available must raise those demands during the
demonstration, it was suggested at the meeting.
During the
discussions, many other issues were raised by the members, prominent among them
were the extension of cashless treatment for pensioners outside the NCT areas (Com.
Pande from Allahabad and others), grant of notional increment for those who
retired on 30th June and 31st December, (Dasan, Central
Water Commission) pension revision of Bank pensioners (Com. Khera and Suresh)
the continuing impasse in the settlement of pension revision of BSNL /DOT
pensioners (K.G. Jayaraj), the non-
--settlement of various issues raised at the SCOVA and in other forums (Com.
S.. K. Sharma, Jaipur) the urgent need to have a common platform for all
pensioners organizations in the country (Com. K. Ragavendran, AIPRPA) the lack
of super specialty hospitals in many towns.
Com. Secretary General said that the question of grant of notional
increment has been discussed on many occasions with the Government and the
issue was still pending decision. In
the matter of cashless treatment to pensioners living outside the NCR, he
assured the house that it would be taken up first in the discussion and if need
be, as an item in the National Council.
Regarding the formation of apex level organizations for all pensioners
and retired personnel in the country, he said that it would be a stupendous task
and even the earlier attempt to revitalize the BCPA had not been
successful. Com. President also said
that though he had been broaching the idea with various pensioners Association
to be affiliated with NCCPA, the same has not been translated into reality.
Many suggested that the NCCPA must take a stand that any attempt in the matter
would be welcomed by it and simultaneously strengthen NCCPA
Asia-Pacific regional conference of TUI (P&R)
It was decided that
the earlier decision taken by the NE should be adhered to and the conference
must be hosted by NCCPA at Trivandrum.
Briefly discussions were held over the financial burden. It was ultimately decided that the Secretary
General will cause a discussion in the matter with the units of all affiliates
of NCCPA in Kerala and will find out the extent of finance required and to what
extent the help must go from the CHQ.
Journal: It was decided that
NCCPA must revive the publication of the journal as the pensioners are not well
accustomed with the electronic format.
The West Bengal COC will communicate within a month to the CHQ as to
whether it would be possible to revive the publication or not. If not steps must be taken by the Secretary
to re commence the publication.
Affiliation:
The meeting decided to grant formal affiliation
to the organizations of Pensioners Association, who had made application and
completed all formalities;
(I)
Central
Water Commission;
(II)
All
Kerala Bank retirees forum;
(III)
Defence
Civilian Officers Pensioners Association;
(IV)
Andaman
and Nicobar Island Government Pensioners Association.
The letter of affiliation will be sent to the
first two organizations immediately having been completed all relevant
formalities. In respect of the latter
two organizations, the formal decision to grant affiliation was taken. They will be requested to complete the
requisite formalities.
In any other matter
with the permission of the Chair, the members raised various issues concerning
the problems and demands of the pensioners, most of which had been taken up
with the Government. Com. President, in
his concluding remarks, said that the NCJCM has demanded for an immediate
meeting of the Committee under the health Secretary and would take similar steps
to convene the meeting under the Secretary Pension also. The meeting was then officially declared
concluded at 7.30 PM. Before that the
resolution moved by the All-Kerala Bank retirees forum was adopted and Com.
Khera, Senior Member and Advisor All India PNB Pensioners Association was
requested by the house to provide the sect. a comprehensive note over the
issues of the Bank Pensioners taking into account the observations made by the
Government in respect of the demands.
With greetings,
Yours fraternally,
Sd/-
KKN Kutty.
Secretary General.
