PRESS STATEMENT

NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS.

13-C Feroze Shah Road,

New Delhi.110 001

Website: www.nccpahq.blogspot.com

Email. nccpahq@gmail.com

Dated: 23/11//2020

President: Com. Shiv Gopal Misra,           9717647594

Secretary General: Com. K.K.N. Kutty      9811048303

PRESS STATEENT

The NCCPA, the apex level organisation of all Pensioners Associations and Federations in the country, conveys their fraternal greetings to the working class including the agricultural workers and Kisans who will be making the one-day general strike on 26.11.2020 a grand historic action.  This strike action despite the serious pandemic situation of corona COVID-19 in the country is expected to elicit the participation of crores of Indian workers, surpassing the earlier record.    The very fact that the strike primarily centres around the demand for the reversal of the ongoing neo liberal economic policies makes it dear to the millions of Indian people, who love this country, who want a self- reliant India to come about.   Every segment of the Indian working class has been targeted by the present Government, the last and fierce being the new labour code.   The method adopted by this Government to get the seal of approval of Rajya Sabha for the new enactment, which takes away the rights, privileges and benefits enjoyed by the workers conferred upon them by the very same Parliament is indicative of the despotic tenor of the governance of the present ruling dispensation.    

The 2019 electoral verdict obtained employing the hate agenda and divisive policies is effectively being used to ensure that crony capitalism is the cardinal principle of governance.  Emboldened by that verdict, the Government has been taking various steps which are totally anti labour in content and character.  The Kisans who are supposed to be the backbone of Indian economy has also been attacked leaving with no alternative for them except to tread the path of struggle.  NCCPA notes with great happiness that many Kisan organisations as also the Agricultural workers Union has lent support to this historic struggle and are participating in this historic action.  The coming together of the Kisaans and workers, NCCPA, notes with great satisfaction is bound to be a great harbinger to bring about a real and lasting change in the society.

The pensioner community, especially those retired from the Central Government service received the most unanticipated shock when the Government decided to deny the dearness relief to them for 18 months from Ist January, 2020 to 1s July, 2021.  The dearness compensation which was meant to arrest the erosion of the real value of pension has thus been stopped.  Read with the notification recently issued in respect of changing the basket of commodities in the computation of the consumer price index and switching over the base year from 2001 to 2016 one genuinely apprehends whether the DR system will remain or not in future.  The present ruling class had always been opposed to the cost indexed wage system and once the same is denied to the workers, undoubtedly the pensioners will have to follow.  This apart, the reduction of rate of interest   effected on term deposits by the Government has considerably reduced the income of the Pensioners as most of them had chosen to invest their savings and retirement wealth in bank deposits.     The pandemic has made them immobile and the Government has made them virtual prisoners in their own homes. They are unable to make the both ends meet with considerable reduction in their income and the Government has chosen to impose additional burden by denying them the dearness compensation, which they are otherwise entitled.  No special consideration has been given to them   either in terms of finance or in terms of priority in case of hospital treatment.

Recently the Central Government has issued an order covering all the employees of Public Sector Enterprises also that their DA will be frozen from 01.10.2020 to 30.06.2021. This is another serious attack. The Government was reluctant initially to extend the benefit of revised pension to the pensioners of autonomous bodies.  Many financial benefits that were provided to them on par with the Central Government employees have been stopped on one pretext or the other.   The revision of pension in the case of BSNL pensioners has been made to pend since 2017.  The pensioners of the BSNL are denied the medical reimbursement, which was in vogue as part of agreement.  The revision of pension entitlement of Bank employees especially those retired from the Punjab National Bank has not taken place for years despite the fact that the Bank holds huge reserves as pension fund.  In the name of amalgamation of banks, these pensioners are denied their legitimate rights. 

The large majority of the Central Government pensioners are denied medical facilities who stay in non-CGHS towns and villages.  Those who are affected by the deadly disease of COVID-19 are to incur heavy financial burden, which is not reimbursed by the Government.  Almost all private hospitals without exception charges exorbitantly for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The facility to Senior Citizens granted by the Indian Railways wherein their train fare was reduced by 40% and 50% respectively to gents and ladies had been cancelled in the name of discouraging travel by senior citizens. This is atrocious. Despite many representations from various quarters, the Central Government has not come forward to restore the facility.

The NCCPA has already called upon its affiliates and members to organise dharna/demonstration on 25th to express solidarity and support to the working class in the country.  NCCPA fervently feels that the 26th November, 2020 strike will bring to the centre stage of discourse the real issues.  NCCPA salutes the workers in the country for the strenuous efforts undertaken by them to make the 26th November, 2020 a grand success.  NCCPA expresses its solidarity with them unequivocally and expects the future course of action to be more intense, more united and more militant.

K.K.N. KUTTY

SECRETARY GENERAL

Press statement dated 28 october 2020 from Confederation of CGE & Workers.Placed hereuinder is the Press Statement issued by the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees and workers in respect of revision of base year for the computation of consumer price index. The ITPF and NCCPA had endorsed this view. KKN Kutty Secretary General, ITPF.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

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PRESS STATEMENT.

Dated: 28.10.2020

Confederation of Central Government Employees and workers notes with distress that the Government has made yet another attempt to depress the wages of the workers this time in the organised sector.  The indexation of wages and the consequent grant of compensatory allowance  had been the product of bitter  and prolonged struggles of the workers. The present system of computing the dearness compensation, though varies from sector to sector, is based on the consumer price index brought out in stipulated periodicity by the Ministry of Labour.  There had been varied and wide ranging criticism over the manner and methodology adopted in the computation of the index figures.  Instead of addressing those genuine and legitimate deficiencies, the  Government has gone now to create a new series which would further accentuate those very defects to the utter disadvantage of the workers. It is all the more deplorable as the Government has chosen the pandemic days to usher in the new series of CPI.

The Government will bring out the new series with 2016 as the base year.  2016, in so far as Indian economy is concerned, is an extremely extra ordinary year when the economic activities almost came to a grinding halt over the grand declaration of demonetisation.  It is an established dictum that base year selected must be a normal year, sans political, social and economic upheaval.  Why then 2016, has no logical explanation. 

The Government has also decided to change the components of the basket.  Post justification had been an afterthought, conceived to cover up.  Had there been a consultation with the stake holders, many of the controversies that have arisen could have been avoided.  By depressing the food content in the basket, the lower rung in the working class will lose out more.  In the past, the base year change used to be effected once after two decades.  Why then the periodicity was reduced and bring out a new series now begs reasoned explanation.

Another important decision that would further depress the dearness compensation to the workers is that the Government has chosen the PDS prices of the commodities for computation.  Universal PDS was disbanded when the new liberal economic policies were ushered in years back.  The present truncated PDS targets only a segment of the population and most of the Central Government employees are excluded from the PDS in almost all States in the country.  This apart the prices of the commodities sold in the PDS is highly subsided.  Consequently, the prices of commodities included in the basket are nothing but imaginary and often below even the cost of production of such items.  Since dearness compensation as an accretion to wages is available for the workers in the organised sector, the new series will bring about drastically reduced  salary packet.  The Centrals Government employees especially will lose out heavily once the new series are put in operation, which is announced to be with effect from September, 2016 onwards.

On the advice of the Technical Advisory committee, the geometrical mean will be employed instead of the arithmetical average .  The conversion factor of 2.88 is devised possibly without taking this factor into account.  The conversion factor will be employed in the case of Central Government employees for a very long time to come from September, 2020 onwards. The ruling class was always opposed to the grant of dearness compensation, rather the very concept itself.   In the long run, they want the wages to remain static and the prices dynamic to ensure that the Corporates are happy.  The resentment against this arbitrary, unilateral and anti-employees decision must be manifested by the increased participation of the Central Government employees in the ensuing one day general strike slated for 26^th November,2020, which is organised by the Central Trade Unions on behalf of the Indian working class. 

                                                             R.N. PARASHAR

                                                             SECRETARY GENERAL.

minutes of the meeting held on 11-11-2020

INCOMETAX PENSIONER FEDERATION

Manishinath Bhawan

A/2/95 Rajouri Garden,

New Delhi. 110 027

Website: Itpf.blogspot.com

E mail. itpfchq@gmail.com

President:                        Com.  Umesh Mehta

Secretary General.          Com. K.K.N. Kutty

Dated: 11TH November, 2020.

Dear Comrade,

The National Secretariat of ITPF met today at 3.00PM. The video meeting was presided over by Com. Umesh Mehta.  After observing two minutes silence for the comrades who passed away during the period between the last and the present meeting, the agenda items were taken up for discussion.  

Journal:  Com. Secretary General explained the circumstances under which the decision was taken to pubish the journal through electronic medium.   He explained that the electronic copy would not be a replacement of the print copy.  Efforts had been taken to bring out the magazine in print form.  As and when it is published the same would be dispatched to the subscribers  The electronic copies are being sent through e mail and are placed on website.  This, he added was to help the comrades to access the publication as quickly as possible.  Regarding the subscription it was clarified that the payment of subscription for the journal may continue to be made as before.  It would be better that the state secretaries collect the individual contribution from the subscribers and remit the same to the Kolkata office.  The copies will be sent to the residential address of the pensioner member.  The electronic copies would be sent only to those comrades who subscribe to the magazine.

NCCPA programme in support of the working class strike slated for 26th November, 2020.  The issue was discussed at length.  It was finally decided to endorse the decision of the NCCPA.  Accordingly, the comrades, who are staying nearby the office  premises in each metro cities wouldl if health permits, to go over and organise demonstration/dharna abiding by the State directives on Covid on 25th.   Others will send a communication to the Central Trade Unions, Confederation etc. assuring of the support of the pensioner community towards the struggle.  Similar letters will also be written to the Government requesting them to settle the issues by the individual member.

Other issues discussed:

On question of grant of one increment and such other issues, viz. MACP etc, it was decided that the concerned State unit depending upon the members involved will agitate before the Tribunals.

Com. Secretary General will circulate a draft letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary regarding the litigation issue on the question of pay fixation after revision of pay scales of Inspectors and ITOs in 2004.  On receipt of the feedback, the letter would be finalised.

The problems faced by the pensioner comrades of Kerala  in the matter of  procedural tangles for transfer of registration from one centre to another and taking treatment at the new wellness centres at Calicut, Kannur and Ernakulum will be communicated to the Secretary in the form of a Note.  Com. Secretary General will take up the issue with the authorities.

With greetings, 

Yours fraternally,  

K.K.N.Kutty

Secretary General.

virtual meeting on 11.11.2020 on Google meet. pl attend

Virtual Meeting of the Income Tax Pensioners Federation on 11.11.2020.

To join the meeting on Google Meet, click this link: 

https://meet.google.com/iue-jkod-nfx 

 

Or open Meet and enter this code: iue-jkod-nfx

INCOMETAX PENSIONER FEDERATION

Manishinath Bhawan

A/2/95 Rajouri Garden,

New Delhi. 110 027

Website: Itpf.blogspot.com

E mail. itpfchq@gmail.com

President:                           Com.  Umesh Mehta

Secretary General.          Com. K.K.N. Kutty

Dated: 4TH October, 2020.

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given for a meeting of the National Sectt. of ITPF on 11th November, 2020 at 3.00PM through virtual platform video meet.  All  Sectt. members are requested to kindly make it convenient to attend the meeting   The agenda for discussions is given hereunder.  The link for the meeting will be senton11th morning.  All members are requested to join the meeting at 2.45 PM. Once the meeting is commenced the video and audio of members may be muted.   Only the video and audit of the comrade who is permitted to speak by the President will be allowed to unmute them. This is to avoid disturbance of sound during the meeting 

AGENDA.

1.Condolence ;

2.Electronic copy of the journal.  The suggestions placed by many members in the whatsap.

3.Decision of the NCCPA for solidarity action in support of the 26th November, strike action

4.Any other matter with the permission of the chair: (The members may kindly send the items to be discussed by 10th November, 2020 through e mail with brief note and the heading of the item conveyed through whatsapp.)

PS: The meeting is slated for a duration of maximum two hours.  Kindly co-operate.

K.K.N. Kutty

Secretary General.

To

All members of the Sectt. through the email.   

Copy to Com. S.K. Sharma for placing this on website and whatsapp and sending the notice through e mail to all members of the National Sectt.

 ITPF endorse the decision of NCCPA

Secretariat Resolves to extend Solidarity to Working Class Strike on 26.11.2020

 DECISIONS OF NCCPA SECRETARIAT MEETING HELD ON 02.11.2020

 

 

NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE 

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS.

13-C Feroze Shah Road,

New Delhi.110 001

Website: www.nccpahq.blogspot.com

Email. nccpahq@gmail.com

Dated: 03/11/2020

President: Com. Shiv Gopal Mishra,           9717647594

Secretary General:Com. K.K.N. Kutty       9811048303

 

Dear comrades,

The National Sectt. of the NCCPA met on 2nd November, 2020 through video network at 3.00PM.  The meeting was presided over by the National President, Com. Shiv Gopal Mishra. The meeting was convened to discuss the following agenda:

1.       Support and solidarity action for the one-day general strike call of the Working class;

2.       Any other issue of importance with the permission of the President.

The members who participated in the discussions were unanimous of the opinion that the NCCPA must support the strike action as the anti-worker policy of the Government was responsible for the decision to deny the dearness relief to pensioners for 18 months and the recent one to change the base year for the computation of the Consumer price index.  The meeting noted with concern that there had been no consultation with the trade unions or the employees representatives, when the government takes decision concerning the service matters of the workers.  The meeting also inter alia took note of the serious and unabated spread of corona virus covid 19 in the country and the difficulties to be encountered by the senior citizens.  The consequent decision of the Government to restrict mobility especially of senior citizens have made them to be virtually under house arrest.  Despite the intense desire to be a participant in the struggles, the meeting noted that the imposed restrictions and the non- availability of public transport in certain areas will constrict them from participating in assembly of people.  The genuine apprehension of being a victim of the deadly pandemic was also expressed at the meeting.  Taking all those into account, the meeting decided to call upon its affiliate and state units:

(a)    To organise sit in dharna or demonstration programme on 25.11.2020 with as many number of comrades as could be mobilised in all important urban agglomerations and State capitals and at the end of the programme send the following message to  Ms. Nrmala Seetaraman, Finance Minister, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi through e mail.  Her e mail address is given hereunder:-

 EMail ID: fmo@nic.in                            

Text of the message:

Dear Madam,We support the one-day general strike of the working class in the country and request you to settle the issues they had projected.       

We also request you to kindly concede the following important demands of the pensioners urgently;

(a)    Release the Dearness Relief impounded;

(b)    Implement Option No. 1 of pension fitment formula as third option.

(c)    Reimburse the medical expenses of all pensioners and clear the pending medical bills of    BSNL pensioners;

(d)    Implement the Pension Revision from 01.01.2017 to BSNL Pensioners;

(e)    Revise the pension of PNB Pensioners without further delay;

(f)     Restore the rail travel facilities to senior citizens.

(g)    Sanction Festival Grant of 20,000/- to Pensioners/Family Pensioners.

Those who could not attend the dharna / demonstration programme due to difficulty of travel etc, may send the above message by email to the finance minister on 25th November.

(b)     Ensure that the wall posters, play card etc. are exhibited at the dharma venue depicting that NCCPA support for the one-day general strike on 26th November, 2020

 

(c)     It was also decided that the NCCPA CHQ will issue a press Statement in support of the strike.  The same will be placed on our website as also conveyed to all affiliates and State Committees through NCCPA WhatsApp Group.

 The demand for festival grant or advance was raised and the President was requested to take up the issue with the Finance Secretary.  Com. President said that the workers have not appreciated the conditions imposed by the Government for the festival advance.  Demanding the advance will amount to acceptance of the same conditions, which would make it worthless. However, he agreed to take up the issue of festival grant for the pensioners as a special case in view of the pandemic. 

Com. V.A. N. Namboodiri, who had to leave the meeting halfway due to technical problems, wanted the NCCPA to ask the Railways to rescind their decision to withdraw the Senior Citizen Facilities.  The NCCPA will forward a resolution in the matter to the Railway Board Chairman. 

The copy of the Press Statement and the resolution demanding restoration of the senior citizen facilities will be sent to you separately.

              With greetings,

Yours fraternally, 

Sd/- 

K.K.N Kutty

Secretary General.

K Ragavendran
General Secretary AIPRPA

 

 National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS. 13-C Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi.110 001 Website: www.nccpahq.blogspot.com Email. nccpahq@gmail.com Dated: 03/11/2020 President: Com. Shiv Gopal Misra, 9717647594 Secretary General:Com. K.K.N. Kutty 9811048303 Dear comrades, The National Sectt. of the NCCPA met on 2nd November, 2020 through video network at 3.00PM. The meeting was presided over by the National President, Com. Shiv Gopa Misra,. The meeting was convened to discuss the following agenda: 1. Support and solidarity action for the one day general strike call of the Working class; 2. Anyother issue of importance with the permission of the President. The members who participated in the discussions were unanimous of the opinion that the NCCPA must support the strike action as the anti-worker policy of the Government was resonsibile for the decision to deny the dearness relief to pensioners for 18 months and the recent one to change the base year for the computation of the Consumer price index. The meeting noted with concern that there had been no consultation with the trade unions or the employees representatives, when the government takes decision concerning the service matters of the workers. The meeting also inter alia took note of the serious and unabated spread of corona virus covid 19 in the country and the difficulties to be encountered by the senior citizens. The consequent decision of the Government to restrict mobility especially of senior citizens have made them to be virtually under house arrest. Despite the intense desire to be a participant in the struggles, the meeting noted that the imposed restrictions and the non- availability of public transport in certain areas will constrict them from participating in assembly of people. The genuine apprehension of being a victim of the deadly pandemic was also expressed at the meeting. Taking all those into account, the meeting decided to call upon its affiliate and state units: (a) To organise sit in dharna or demonstration programme on 25.11.2020 with as many number of comrades as could be mobilised in all important urban agglomerations and State capitals and at the end of the programme send the following message to Ms. Nrmala Seetaraman, Finance Minister, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi through e mail. Her e mail address is given hereunder:- fmo@nic.in Text of the message: Dear Madam, We support the one day general strike of the working class in the country and request you to settle the issues they had projected. We also request you to kindly concede the following important demands of the pensioners urgently; (a) Release the Dearness Relief impounded; (b) Implement Option No. 1 of pension fitment formula as third option. (c) Reimburse the medical expenses of all pensioners and clear the pending medical bills of BSNL pensioners (d)Impleent the pension revision from 1.1.2017 to BSNL pensioners; (e) Revise the pension of PNB employees and BSNL. Pensioners without further delay; (f) Restore the rail travel facilities to senior citizens. (g) sanction festival gant of 20,000 to pensioners/family pensioners. Those who could not attend the dharma programme due to difficulty of travel etc, may send the above message by e mail to the finance minister on 25th November 2020 (b) Ensure that the wall posters, play card etc. are exhibited at the dharma venue depicting that NCCPA support for the one day general strike on 26th November, 2020 (c) It was also decided that the NCCPA CHQ will issue a press Statement in support of the strike. The same will be placed on our website as also conveyed to all affiliates and State Committees through whatsaps. The demand for festival grant or advance was raised and the President was requested to take up the issue with the Finance Secretary. Com. President said that the workers have not appreciated the conditions imposed by the Government for the festival advance. Demanding the advance will amount to acceptance of the same conditions, which would make it worthless. However, he agreed to take up the issue of festival grant for the pensioners as a special case in view of the pandemic. Com. V.A. N. Namboodiri, who had to leave the meeting halfway due to technical problems wanted the NCCPA to ask the Railways to rescind their decision to withdraw the Senior Citizen Facilities. The NCCPA will forward a resolution in the matter to the Railway Board Chairman. The copy of the Press Statement and the resolution demanding restoration of the senior citizen facilities will be sent to you separately. With greetings, Yours fraternally, K.K.N Kutty Secretary General.

THIS IS TO INFORM ALL CONCERNED THAT ITPF CHQ HAS ENDORSED THE DECISION OF NCCPA CIRCULATED ABOVE.