AIPRPA Foundation Day on 19th July - Celebrate in all Places!

 

July-19^th – AIPRPA Foundation Day

It was in the year 2014 on the same day that our foundation All India Conference at Vellore Tamil Nadu State gave birth to the AIPRPA organization as a pan-Indian Pensioners Association of Postal Pensioners and Family Pensioners. Now, we are completing 9 years of our existence and entering into 10^th year.  In the words of Comrade D.Gnaniah the former Secretary General of NFPTE in his advanced age of 90+ stated in Coimbatore that the effort to organize the Postal Pensioners at an all-India level was the correct step and nobody thought of it until then and he was proud to join AIPRPA as a basic member.

Formation of Departmental wise Pensioners Associations;

 Our forefathers of the P&T Trade Union movement of NFPTE never thought to form a separate pan-Indian Association because it never occurred to them to form an organization like this and moreover, they were looking after the needs of Pensioners also in their capacity as the leaders of NFPTE and NFPE. But time has come to form our organization in the background that we could not function in the service associations and Federations. Leaders of Confederation and Pensioners like Comrade S.K.Vyas also suggested that the formation of departmental wise all-India pensioners associations to be led by the erstwhile union leaders is the right step to strengthen the pensioners movement at all-India level.

Implementation of calls:

The suggestion of leaders like Comrade S.K.Vyas, who is considered as the Pitamah of our movement, encouraged the birth of many all-India Associations of Pensioners and in turn the calls of NCCPA are actually being implemented in many States of India. Nowadays, the NCCPA calls or the calls of Trade Union International (Pensioners & Retirees) to which our NCCPA, AIPRPA, AIBDPA are affiliated, are seen implemented in several places with banners and enthusiasm. The calls of TUI (P&R) are seen implemented in many places with associations not affiliated with the TUI also during the month of October when the International Pensioners Day is being implemented and the demands of Pensioners & Retirees are propagated world wide. The Pensioners at their advancing age started to feel the importance of mobilization and agitations to focus attention of the powers on their justified demands. The powers cannot ignore the calls of the Senior Citizens!

10 became thousands:

It is to be remembered that the efforts with a handful of Pensioners at the residence of Comrade VAN Namboodiri at New Delhi and in the presence of leaders like Comrades VAN Namboodiri; M.Krishnan; K.Ragavendran; D.K.Rahate; and others, the AIPRPA CHQ All India Steering Committee was formed. There were only around 10 Comrades present at that time in the formation meeting of AIPRPA Steering Committee and today we are a stronger association with more than 50,000 Pensioners and Family Pensioners as our life and annual members. AIPRPA is contributing to the growth of pensioners movement of NCCPA at India and at world level the expansion of activities of Trade Union International (Pensioners & Retirees).

AIPRPA is a democratic organization:

AIPRPA is not a paper-association but a living organization with full democratic traditions. We try to conduct our All India and State Conferences at the periodicity prescribed in our constitution. We try to follow democratic principles and honour them. We show tolerance towards various democratic groups formed in our movement over a long time and accommodate all groups, all Federations, all cadres in our midst and function as the largest democratic organization. We join with other Trade Union Centers and Workers Associations and Federations and even court arrest along with them at times of struggle. We are working with the principle that unity of all Pensioners Associations for a principled approach and struggle for our justified issues.

A day will come – when we may or may not see that day – when several Pensioners Associations will stand united as a big confederation of Pensioners Associations and raise the unified voice of all Pensioners against the powers. A day will come – when the Pensioners and Retirees under the revolutionary banner of TUI will agitate and win the demands of the senior citizens of several countries. Our humble task is to work for the realization of that day; and we pledge that our direction of work will be undeterred unity of all Pensioners and Family Pensioners Community.

D.K.Debnath

General Secretary AIPRPA

Celebrate the day of foundation of AIPRPA Celebrate with all enthusiasm – Most of us will be travelling towards the national capital on 19th for participating in the Rally at Jantar Mantar under the banner of NCCPA at that time [21.07.2023] . The CMC of AIPRPA also is organized at New Delhi on 20.07.2023. But the foundation day will be remembered by all of us and the remaining comrades who do not come to Delhi can celebrate the birth of AIPRPA in all places. Long live AIPRPA! Long live the aspirations!