Honourable Prime Minister is addressed by FCPA

 

Honourable Prime Minister is addressed by FCPA

Dear Comrades!

The FCPA letter addressed to Honourable PM of India as decided by the meeting of Committee is given below, The Copy of this letter is addressed to the Staff Side Secretary too - KR SG NCCPA

NCCPA / 8^th CPC / TOR                                                                                             Dated 21^st  November 2025

To

Sri.Narendra Modi Ji

Honourable Prime Minister of India

Prime Ministers’ Office,

South Block,

Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110011

 

NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS

Respected Prime Minister!

Sub: Ventilation of disillusionment among the old Pensioners and Request for amendments in the TOR of 8^th CPC – regarding.

We the Pensioners of Pre-2026, senior / super senior citizens, wish to express our feelings of disillusionment and also the humble request for amending the Terms of References to 8th CPC constituted by the Central Government headed by you.  We are confident that the reconsideration of TOR of 8^th CPC will be done by your Government taking into account the large scale disappointment prevailing among the Pre-2026 Pensioners Community and as a confidence building measure will scrap the Validation Clause adopted in Parliament along with 2025 Finance Bill to divide the past pensioners based on their retirement date etc.

The terms of reference and the actual constitution of 8^th CPC has taken much delay of 9 months after the Central Cabinet had approved the formation in the month of January 2025 itself. The abnormal delay has caused the fear that the implementation date will not be from 1.1.2026 and arrears may not be paid even if the Pay Commission recommendations are given effect from 1.1.2026. The fear is due to fact that there was no reference to the date of effect in the TOR. The ruling Party that heads the Ministry is supposed to be a party with a difference but as like the earlier Governments this time also there is no Labour Representative in the 8^th CPC!

 The widespread apprehension is that the TOR is heavily loaded against us with the conditions that the 8^th CPC is to give its recommendations. The term ‘Unfunded cost of non-contributory Pension Scheme” in the TOR will work against our interests. The Finance Minister’s averment in Parliament that the validation clause is customary and the 8^th CPC is like the 7^th CPC itself and the same thing repeated by the Pension Secretary on 29.03.2025 in the online meeting convened by the Pension Ministry does not correspond to the reality in the TOR. The 7^th CPC in its TOR had the reference to “Examine the principles which should govern the structure of pension and other retirement benefits, including revision of pension in the case of employees who have retired prior to the date of effect of these recommendations", which is a clear reference to the pensioners of pre-2006, The Government also appointed a committee headed by the Pension Secretary, which had recommended Option III in place  of Option 1 recommended by the 7^th CPC and the Government did implement that recommendation of Pension Secretary. Honourable Finance Minister rightly pointed out on the floor of the Parliament that “this government has issued orders for treating all the pensioners who retired prior to 2016 and retired after 2016. Such assurance is missing this time.

There is no talk of Interim Relief despite the inordinate time dalay in the TOR. We expected that there will be reference in the TOR about the Interim Relief or the government itself will announce an Interim Relief of not less than 30% in the wake of Honourable Parliament Members were given a hike of 24% from 1.4.2023 when the CG Employees and past Pensioners had actually served for nation’s growth.

The very purpose of announcing UPS scheme by the Government is the failure of NPS and no benefit like OPS is being given in NPS. But the UPS while ensuring 50% of Last Basic Pay as Pension like the OPS, however continue with the recovery of 10% of Pay + DA from the employees. There is no recovery in OPS and the Pension is given by the Government like deferred wage in accordance with the Supreme Court judgment. There are other perks and rights like the Commutation of Pension, Family Pension etc in the OPS, which are denied in UPS. The reference in TOR is ensuring the continuation of UPS and  not allowing the 8^th CPC to impartially recommend on this issue.

Like 7^th CPC times, the inadvertent omission of Autonomous and Statutory Bodies in the mention of Pay Commission had led us to a lot of difficulties after the recommendations are implemented to others but not to this CG Staff and Pensioners. This time in 8^th CPC also there is no clear mention of this section of CG Employees and Pensioners though thCey are equal to other CG Employees only in respect of Pay and Pension etc. The JCM Staff Side Secretary had proposed the matters to be included in the TOR when the Staff Side was consulted on TOR by this Government but including the above item all issues are omitted unfortunately.

Kindly refer the letter dated 17.11.2025 written by JCM Staff Side Secretary Comrade Shiva Gopal Mishra to you where all issues of worries among the CG Employees and Pensioners are amply explained in it. They are very vital to the CG Employees and past Pensioners.

We have other important issues like the reduction of period of restoration of commutation; FMA hike to 3000/- as recommended by the Parliament Standing Committee; the grant of additional pension of 5% from 65 to 80 years age of Pensioners; the taking of entering into the age as attaining that age according to court judgments etc which are not mentioned in the TOR. Even in the online meeting taken by the Pension Secretary convened by the Pension Ministry the Pensio n Secretary had told the participants that the issue of Commutation will be referred to the 8^th CPC and according to the recommendation the Government will act. But to the dismay this issue is also absent in the TOR.

The past pensioners had sacrificed a lot for the Country. They should live after retirement with dignity and with the same standard of living as in service according to the Supreme Court Judgment.  But the periodic revision of the Pension though not ensures to live while in service at least ensures a standard of living which the Government should not take away. The Government is requested to understand that the payment of pension is not to be considered as a non-developmental expenditure because they are spending the pension for purchase of essential articles, on education, which helps to increase the demand, thereby helps for industrial growth, a portion of pension by some pensioners deposit  in Post Office / Banks which also helps for the industrial growth. Therefore, the Forum of Civil Pensioners Associations desires the appropriate amendments in the TOR of 8^th CPC and to scrap the validation clause adopted in Parliament by the Government.

Regards.

Faithfully Yours,

(K.Ragavendran)

SG NCCPA

              Copy to:

1. The Cabinet Secretary.

2. The Staff Side Secretary JCM/