NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS
13C, Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi 110001
Shiv Gopal Sharma K.K.N.Kutty
President Secretary General
Dear Comrades!
Registration of NCCPA
The important work related to registration of NCCPA under Trade Union Act as decided in our 4th AIC at Jaipur is facing delay due to corona pandemic and the resultant lockout. A preliminary discussion to prepare necessary documents was held at Delhi but due to lock down I could not undertake any journey to Delhi in the middle of March, 2020. Comrades K.Ragavendran Deputy Secretary General; M.L.Gupta Vice President; H.L.Sidhu Treasurer; and K.D.Khera Chief Advisor of PNB Pensioners Welfare Association met and attended some initial work of preparing documents for the registration. I will go to Jaipur after the lockdown at the appropriate time to complete the process of registration. CHQ Vice Presidents Comrades S.K.Sharma and M.L.Gupta are directly involved in this important task.
DA/DR Impounding by the Central Government
The Government of India has issued an unilateral order on 23.04.2020 vide No.1/1/2020-E.II(B) of Ministry of Finace, Department of Expenditure to freeze the DA/DR of CG Employees and Pensioners up to 30.06.2021 and that not to pay any arrears even after the lifting of the freezing with effect from 1.7.2021. The authoritative and unilateral action of the Government has received widespread condemnation from different organizations of Central Government Employees and Pensioners.
NCCPA as the apex organization of various Pensioners Associations at National level and CGPA affiliates at State level expressed its strong condemnation to the Government over this unilateral impounding of DA/DR. The Government have not taken the facts that even before the said impounding, the NCCPA and its affiliates have been donating to the cause of fighting corona to either the PMNRF or State Chief Ministers’ Relief Funds. In addition there had been a wage cut on the CG Employees and the Pensioners also were requested to offer willingness to recover from Pension towards the relief. The unilateral action of impounding of three installments due from 1.1.2020; 1.7.2020; and 1.1.2021 without any arrears on restoration will be acting very severely on the Pensioners whose livelihood is based on Pension and periodical Dearness Relief to offset the cost of living rise. Recovery of pension from 4% to around 12% Pension for a period of 18 months will be excessively harsh on the senior citizens.
NCCPA has therefore written to the Prime Minister to intervene to cause to rescind the orders of the Finance Minister dated 23.04.2020. The copy of letter addressed to the Honourable Prime Minister is enclosed for the information of our affiliates. Any inaction on the part of the Government will be discussed in our National Executive after the restoration of normalcy and organizational decisions will be taken. All our affiliates are requested to send an identical letter of protest to the Honourable Prime Minister on behalf of their respective organizations.
National Executive of NCCPA
The National Executive of NCCPA scheduled to be held at Ernakulam on 25th April could not be held due to corona and lockdown. The exact date of the meeting will be later intimated in consultation with the General Secretary of AIBDPA who are hosting the event. Sufficient advance notice will be given to all for facilitating journey reservation.
Comradely Yours,
Sd/-
(K.K.N.Kutty)
Secretary General
Encl: Copy of Email to Prime Minister.
National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Association
13C, FEroze Shah Road, New Delhi 110001
Shiv Gopal Mishra K.K.N.Kutty
President Secretary General
To
The Honourable Prime Minister,
Government of India,
South Block,
New Delhi. 110 001
Dear Sir,
Sub: Freezing of dearness allowance to Central Government Employees and dearness relief to Central Government Pensioners at current rates till July, 2021.
Please refer to the O.M. No. 1/1/2020-EII (B) dated 23rd April, 2020 issued by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance in view of the crisis arising out of the pandemic Covid -19. ordering that the dearness relief to Central Government Pensioners will be freezed at the current rates till July, 2021. In this connection, we on behalf of the Central Government pensioners submit the following for your kind consideration.
The Central Government pensioners, immediately after your appeal for donation to combat the spread of the pandemic Covid-19 had voluntarily contributed to the Prime Minister Relief Fund or the respective Chief Minister’s Relief fund to the best of their capacity. Pensioners, as you are aware Sir, being senior Citizens are mostly inflicted with several diseases and physical debilities and are presently directed by the authorities to be confined to their homes. They are prohibited to go out and are depended upon others for their dire needs. Pension being 50% of the last drawn salary or even less, they are seldom able to make the both ends meet.
The above cited order of the Government of India has been a bolt from the blue for many pensioners. Since they are depended upon others for every of their needs, the procurement of medicines, visiting hospitals, collecting groceries et all, have become costlier than what it was a few months back. In fact presently they are in dire need of extra allowances to pull on. They along with the millions of people all over the world wanted the pandemic to end and therefore, support every decision of the Government especially the restrictions imposed on their movement.
The decision of the Government to freeze the Dearness allowance which had become due on 1st January, 2020 is an unprecedented one. We earnestly feel that the country’s economy has not reached such a situation that the Government needs to curtail the meager pension income of the old people. Never in the political history of the country, even when its very existence was threatened by external aggression or during the worst financial crisis of 1990s the Government has resorted to confiscate the pension income of senior citizens. No doubt our country like many other Nations of the world is fighting to wipe out the pandemic and the lock down has halted all economic activities. We are certain that you will be able to note that no other country has decided to confiscate the income of pensioners. We feel that our country’s economy is robust and is capable of facing the challenges without resort to pauperizing the pensioners. While benefit packages are extended to considerably well to-do segments in the society, the denial of the due entitlements to the pensioners is extremely painful.
From the order it is seen that the Government has not only decided to freeze the DR entitlements but would not also release the arrears even after the normalcy in the economic activities is brought about. We can only characterize it as the unkindest cut. We also would like to point out that an appeal from your good-self for donation would have elicited greater response and the pensioners who are comparatively well off would have responded admirably and the Government might have collected more than what it would receive by the operation of the above cited order. That would have helped immensely the comparatively low income pensioners, especially the family pensioners.
It would, therefore, be appropriate that the pensioners are excluded from the purview of the O.M.cited . The decision to impound the arrears of Dearness relief in July,2021 is extremely harsh on low income pensioners and family pensioners especially. Impounding the Dearness relief, in our opinion is not legally tenable without the consent of the concerned pensioner. The Finance Ministry is well aware of the rule that the entitled pension cannot be curtailed. Whoever has advised the Government that the Dearness Relief on pension should not be construed as pension are wrong and their interpretation is not at all tenable.
We, therefore, appeal to you that for the reasons stated by us in the preceding paragraphs, the order issued by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure cited, may be directed to be withdrawn forthwith.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
K.K.N.Kutty
Secretary General
