INCOMETAX PENSIONER FEDERATION

Manishinath Bhawan

A/2/95 Rajouri Garden,

New Delhi. 110 027

Website: Incometax pensioners federation.blogspot.com

E mail. itpfchq@gmail.com

Dated: 10^th July, 2020. 

Dear Comrade,

                Since the advent of covid 19 pandemic, the country had been facing perhaps the toughest challenge.  Despite the best efforts, the sweep and spread of the pandemic could not be halted.  Day by day its intensity is on the rise.  Most of the pensioners, especially the senior comrades has been placed under house arrest .   The lock down declared with the usual suddenness was meant to ensure that the epidemic  does not reach the intolerable peak.  In the wake of the lock out the country witnessed the stark fact that how insufficient is its public health system.  Over the years, especially after 1991, when the new policy on economic administration was ushered in, when privatization was considered the panacea for all ills, when globalization was considered the only remedy for faster economic growth, when we were told that there is no alternative, the health of the security of the people received the least consideration from the rulers.  Insurance and insurance companies sprang up.  The private hospitals  with 5 star facilities came into existence.  We in the middle class applauded  all these “great” happenings.  We witnessed during this pandemic days that wherever the public health system had not been thoroughly dismantled, the poor could get treatment and get cured .  What is unfortunate is that there had been no appreciation of this fact in the so called free media of our country.  The hollowness of the insurance system against pandemic proved beyond doubt that there must be a public health system, rather a very strong and powerful system, catering to the requirement of the people at large, to get the Nation, the real status of a welfare state. 

We have been restricted to our homes for the past three and half months.  There had been many problems connected with the virus and the health system available to us in the form of CGHS and medical reimbursement.  On the basis of the feedback we have been receiving, these issues have been addressed to a very limited extent.  Kindly visit the nccpa website for details. 

The NCCPA sectt. members met once through the video conferencing. The only way we would be able to interact in  another year  would be through this new technology.  Its pan Indian usage would become a reality soon.   There was a meting with the Secretary health  yesterday by the members of the staff side jcm on CGHS issues.  As and when the circular letter is received it would be placed on the website. 

In the meantime, as you are aware, the Government took the decision to  freeze the Dearness relief upto 1.7.2021 in the name of covid.  Pandemic.  The NCCPA had taken strong  objection  as the decision was not only untenable but unwarranted and illegal also. It has been decided in the meting of the Sectt.that the pensioner community as a whole must  record their objection.  We reproduce hereunder the resolution adopted at the sect. meting in the matter as also the circular of the NCCPA.  It must be our endeavor  that each of our affiliates send the e mail to the Prime Minister and also ensure that each individual member send the similar mail.   In the given circumstances, we would not be able to organize any other form of protest action.  The  freezed DR will not be paid back to us   as the order has clearly stated that no arrears would be paid to the employees and pensioners on 1.07,2021.  As has been noted in the resolution this has been an unprecedented step taken by any Government.  We must be confident that our continued resistance will compel the Government to reverse this untenable decision.

With greetings,

Yours fraternally,

KKN Kutty

Secretary General

NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS  ASSOCIATIONS.

13-C Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi. 110 001.

Website: nccpahq.blogspot.in.

E mail: nccpahq@gmail.com.

PRESIDENT:       COM.SHIV GOPAL MISHRA.(97176 47594)

SECY. GENERAL:          COM.K.K.N.KUTTY. (98110 483030)

Dated: 02.07.2020

Dear  Comrades.

                The National Secretariat of NCCPA met though video conferencing on 15^th June, 2020.  Com. Shiv Gopal Misra, President chaired the meeting.   Due to some technical reasons, Com. Pavitra Chakraborty and Com. Prabhakaran Nair (both Deputy Secretary Generals) could not join the meeting.  The meeting which lasted for more than an hour took note of the following developments.

(a)    The unhindered spread of Covid 19 corona virus in the country despite lock down of more than 75 days.

(b)   The plight of pensioners  and other retired personnel  during this period

(c)    The utter disregard of CGHS over the difficulties of the beneficiaries, especially pensioners.

(d)   The decision of the Government to deny the dearness relief for 18 months

(e)   The vigorous persuasion of the privatization of even strategic sectors of the economy taking advantage of the corona situation in the country.

(f)     Amendments to labour laws including increasing the working hours

(g)    The proposed movement of the united platform of central trade unions.

2.            The meeting also briefly discussed the prospects of pursuing the MACP cases in the administrative tribunal.  It was decided that in view of the situation obtaining in Delhi due to covid 19 as also at Chennai, the matter might be kept pending for some more time.  However, in the meantime the Secretary General may generate a format of application form and place the same on the website.  The affiliates might get the application filled in by the interested persons and collect the requisite fees from them so that the case can be filed as and when the courts are open. 

2.            After discussions, the meting took the following decisions:

(i)            The pensioners, wherever possible will join hands with the working employees

to take part in the protest actions  organized by the united platform of working class as also independently by the CGE organizations.

(ii)           to send an appropriately worded resolution to the Prime Minister conveying the feelings and problems of pensioners especially emanating from the denial of DR.

(iii)          to advise each affiliate and the pensioner member to send a brief e mail communication to the Prime Minister.

(iv)         the affiliates and the members will be advised to ensure that the e mails are sent before the end of July, 2020.

(v) On CGHS difficulties, the President and Secretary General will take up the matter with the Staff  Side JCM and prepare common  communication as the issues are  one and the same for both pensioners and working employees.

3.            The text of the resolution as also the draft e mail message to be sent by all to the Prime Minister are annexed.  The  e-mail to the Prime Minister may be sent to his official e mail address. [There are three methods: Either to narendramodi1234@gmail.com (PM Email ID) or connect@mygov.nic.in (PMO Email ID) or by going to http;//pgportal.gov.in and registering with your user ID and Password you can send the email to Honourable Prime Minister].

4.            The meeting decided that the National Executive of NCCPA must meet in July through video conferencing.  The Secretary General was asked to take requisite steps. 

5.            All the Sectt. members and the Chief  Executives (Secretary General/General Secretary) of affiliates  are requested to communicate their e-mail address to Com. K.Ragavendran, Deputy Secretary General  NCCPA. A link will be emailed in that email from nccpa.hq@gmail.com  and by clicking the link you all can join the video conference.

6.            In the meantime, a meeting was arranged by the General Secretary of TUI (P&R) in which besides the undersigned, Com.  K.Ragavendran and Com. K.G.Jayaraj attended. We are happy to inform you that Com. K.Ragavendran has been elected as the Convenor of the Asian region of TUI .  We propose to hold a meeting of the representatives of the pensioners associations in the Asian continent first through video conferencing.  Kindly visit the website for knowing the developments in the pensioners’ world.

                With greetings,

Yours fraternally,

K.K.N. Kutty

Secretary General

Full text of the resolution to be sent to the Prime Minister by the NCCPA.

This meeting of the National Secretariat of NCCPA held through video conferencing painfully takes note of the extremely alarming situation developed in the world due to the Covid 19 corona pandemic.

The meeting pays sorrowful homage to lakhs of people around the world who succumbed to the deadly disease and conveys the heartfelt condolences of the members of NCCPA to the bereaved members of the family of the covid victims.

The meeting takes note of the sacrifice, courage, conviction,  dedication and the untiring efforts of the health workers, especially the Doctors, Nurses, Para medical staff both in India and abroad by virtue of which millions escaped  from the jaws of death.  The meeting specially noted the supreme sacrifice of some of the health workers who laid down their lives for rescuing others.

 

Besides the health workers, the meeting noted that the law enforcing personnel of the police department, officials of the local bodies, viz. Panchayat, City Corporations and towns, the Government officials from the revenue and other departments, the Asha and Anganawadi workers, the people who formed voluntary organizations; all have worked in unison to control and combat the spread of the deadly disease, given the fact that there exist no preventive and curative medicine.  The meeting observed that but for the admirable response of the people at large to the directives of the Government, the lock down would not have been effective at all and they above all deserve the greatest appreciation and admiration.

The meeting also placed on record with pride and satisfaction that the pensioner community and especially those who are members of various affiliates of NCCPA had responded to the call of the Government to donate a day’s salary/pension  to the Prime Minister’s public relief fund to provide the much needed financial assistance to the people at large.

The meeting however noted that the pensioner community had felt exasperated over the failure of the Government of India to appreciate their plight caused by the sudden decision taken to bring into effect a complete lock down to combat the spread of the covid virus. Most of them being small income pensioners and family pensioners could not make both ends meet even in the normal circumstances.  The lock down and the consequent difficulties were unbearable for them.  Being Senior citizen, they had been inflicted with various ailments and other physical debilities.  The lock down made their life miserable.  No helping hand was extended to them.  Contrary to what ought to have been done by the Government to mitigate their difficulties, Government of India chose to deny them even the dearness relief they were entitled to receive from Ist January, 2020.

The meeting felt that the decision of the Government conveyed vide their order in O;.M. No. 1/1/2020.EII (B) dated 23^rd April, 2020 to deny them the dearness relief  with effect from 1.1.2020 for another  18months had been the unkindest one ever taken by any Government.  The meeting noted that never in the history of the country even on occasions when its very  existence had been threatened by external aggression or when it faced the worst financial crisis in 1990, has it resorted to confiscate the meager pension income of senior citizens.  The meeting observed that no country in the world had resorted to such a step as has been taken by the Government of India to heap such inhuman burden on senior citizens.  Especially in the background of the 20 trillion rupee package, the major beneficiaries of which had been the rich entrepreneurs and multinational corporate establishments, the denial of even the legitimate entitlements of the pensioners, the meeting felt has revealed the sadistic state of mind of people in authority. 

The meeting also noted that it was the same disdainful attitude that had been responsible for the permission extended to the oil companies to raise the retail prices of petrol and diesel continuously for 22 days when the crude oil price in the international market had been diminishing, unmindful of the misery and agony of the people.  It was the crudest exploitation of a situation pretty well knowing that the people gripped with the fear of the pandemic corona virus would not be able to make any resistance movement possible. 

The meeting has, therefore, unequivocally affirms that the order issued on23rd April, 2020 to deny the dearness relief  to the pensioners  must be rescinded immediately, for besides the agony it inflicts on the pensioner community, it is without legal status for the rules strictly prohibits curtailment of pension entitlements under any circumstances.   The Government must appreciate that dearness relief is an integral part of the pension and the Government has no authority either to deny any part of it or even to defer its payment.

The meeting has, therefore, decided to appeal to the Government to immediately release the 7% Dearness relief and make over the payment of the arrears to the pensioners without any further loss of time and direct the Ministry of Finance to rescind the orders cited in so far as it is applicable to the pensioners and dearness relief.

Shiv  Gopal Misra

President.

Draft Email communication addressed to the Prime Minister

We/I solicit your kind reference to the resolution adopted by the National Secretariat of the National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Association (NCCPA) , copy of which has already been submitted to the honourable Prime Minister on …..July, 2020.  We/I being an affiliated member association/member request the honourable Prime Minister to kindly direct the Ministry of Finance to rescind the order in O.M.No. 1/1/2020-E.II(B) dated 23^rd April, 2020 forthwith and sanction the dearness relief which has  become due from 1.1.2020.