Resolutions adopted in the AGM of
AIPRPA
held in New Delhi
on 15th and 16th October 2015
The Resolutions adopted in the AGM are being sent to respective Departments of Government of India by the CHQ.
1. Resolution
on Nationwide Programme of Action on Postal Pensioners’ Charter of Demands:
There
are several exclusive problems to Postal Pensioners that remain unresolved for
years. The Postal Pensioners are not allowed to enroll as a beneficiary under
CGHS on the plea that only the beneficiaries of the scheme while in service
will be permitted to join. This is a clear discrimination perpetrated to Postal
Pensioners as against other Civilian Pensioners. The Postal Pensioners in
non-CGHS areas drawing FMA are allowed the benefit of reimbursement for any
hospitalization treatment on par with the employees in service despite many
courts ordering in favour of such Pensioners. Even the Postal Pensioners
covered under some of the existing Postal Dispensaries in some parts are denied
in-patient treatment and they are forced to pay annual contribution for out-patient
treatment. The discussion in SCOVA on
allotment of rent-free BSNL landline telephone to all erstwhile P&T
Pensioners seems to be an unending process without any finality. There are
several other problems like allotment of vacant Postal Staff Quarters to Postal
Pensioners on a nominal rent. In addition to these exclusive sectional issues
of postal pensioners, there is also the problem of non-issue of orders for
refixation of pension for all post-1996 Postman retired pensioners despite
Supreme Court Verdict and delay in implementing the July 30th Orders
on refixation of pension to all Pre-2006 Pensioners. It
is therefore unanimously resolved by this AGM of AIPRPA CHQ held at New Delhi
on 15th to 16th October to launch a Nationwide Programme
of Action on Postal Pensioners Charter of Demands and that the exact Programme
of Action shall be finalized by the CHQ Executive Committee to meet after the
submission of 7th CPC Report.
2. Resolution
on implementation of Pre-2006 pension refixation:
The 30th July 2015 orders
of the Ministry of Pension and Pensioners Welfare notwithstanding, the issues
of pre-2006 pensioners have not come to an end in the Department of Posts. The
30th July orders allow refixation of pension w.e.f. 1.1.2006 instead
of 24.9.2012 with the quantum of pension refixed in accordance with the
P&PW Department OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 28-01-2013. The Annexure
to the above orders dated 28th January clearly spells out the actual
pay in the pay band for each cadre with the appropriate Grade Pay as well as
the minimum pension entitled to the Pre-2006 pensioners retired from that
cadre. However, in many postal divisions in several
circles the refixation of pension to pre-2006 pensioners and family pensioners
has not been strictly done as per the above analogy stipulated under the orders
of MoP&PW dated 30th July,2015. Moreover the refixation work has
not been undertaken in many postal divisions. This Annual General Body Meeting
of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association resolves to urge upon the
Postal Directorate to cause to issue appropriate instructions to all Circles
for suo-moto correct refixation of pension to all eligible Pre-2006 pensioners
and family pensioners in a time bound manner to avoid delay and disappointment
to postal pensioners.
3.
Resolution on grant of full
pension to pre-2006 Pensioners with less than 33 years of service:
The Supreme Court had dismissed the SLP of the
Central Government filed against the judgment of Honourable High Court of
Kerala delivered in favour of ‘Inasu’. This means that Pre-2006 pensioners with
only 20 years of qualifying service also should be paid full pension instead of
proportionate pension. This judgment has been totally ignored by the Government
while issuing the orders on 30th July, 2015 on the refixation of
pension to Pre-2006 pensioners. The action of the Central Government is
completely unjustified and its refusal to extend the judgment to all Pre-2006
pensioners with less than 33 years of service except to the particular
pensioner involved in the SLP is nothing but defiance of Apex Court directives.
The Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association
being held at New Delhi on 15th and 16th October, 2015
unanimously resolves to urge upon the Central Government to comply the Supreme
Court orders on the issue of grant of full pension to Pre-2006 retirees with
less than 33 years of service.
4.
Resolution on pension
refixation to post-1996 pensioners of Postman cadre:
The Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal
& RMS Pensioners Association being held at New Delhi from 15th
to 16th of October, 2015 is deeply saddened to witness the undue delay
on the part of the Postal Department in issuing orders for refixation of
Pension to the post-1996 pensioners of Postman cadre consequent on the
disposal of the Civil Appeal Number 2010 Of 2009 on 7.5.2015. The delay even after five months
of disposal of the SLP by the Supreme Court, based that too after an
understanding was reached in consultation with the Advocate of the Government
for granting monetary benefit notionally from 1.1.1996 to 10.10.1997, is
unacceptable. Thousands of post-1996 postmen retirees are denied their due
refixation of pension for years due to the long-drawn legal battle. But the
current delay in issuing the orders even after the Supreme Court verdict is
causing agony to the pensioners of postal department. This AGM urges for early
release of orders.
5. Grant of life
membership of CGHS to Andhra and Telengana Postal Pensioners:
This Annual
General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners being held at New
Delhi from 15th to 16th October, 2015 resolves to urge
upon the Government to consider the peculiar situation developed in the matter
of admission of postal pensioners into the CGHS in the state of erstwhile
Andhra Pradesh. On the intervention of Hyderabad CAT, the Postal Pensioners of
erstwhile Andhra Pradesh were admitted into the CGHS on a temporary basis by
admitting them for every six months period as against the one year period
applicable to other regular subscribers. This had happened 10 years before and
no final decision is taken by the Government on this peculiar situation
prevailing only in Andhra in the country. As per the existing rules of CGHS,
once a pensioner beneficiary pays CGHS annual contribution for a period of 10
years, he is then admitted as a life time beneficiary and no further recovery
of CGHS contribution need to be made. The Postal Pensioners of present
bifurcated states of Andhra and Telengana, who have thus paid the CGHS
contribution for a total period of 10 years through their special six months
renewals, are therefore eligible to get life membership into the CGHS without
any further payment of contributions. But contrary to existing rules, the six
months recovery of contribution is continued beyond the period of 10 years in
these two states. The poor pensioners out of fear of discontinuation from CGHS
are forced to pay the contributions beyond the 10 years period. This Annual
General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association
unanimously resolves to urge upon the Government of India to order stoppage of
any further recovery from those pensioners who have remitted contributions for
a period of 10 years and issue life membership into the CGHS for them.
6.
On implementation of Supreme Court judgment
against recovery from retiring officials:
This AGM of All
India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association being held at New Delhi from 15th
to 16th October, 2015 has resolved unanimously to urge upon the
Central Government to take efforts to issue appropriate instructions based on
the Supreme Court direction about recovering excess amount of salary paid etc
from the officials at the time of retirement. The Supreme Court had delivered a
judgment stating that no recovery towards any over-payment shall be made from
officials during the time of their retirement and within one year of
retirement. It is also relevant to note that based on this Supreme Court
judgment, the Jabalpur CAT also recently ordered against such recovery of over
payment after retirement. As it will be
extremely difficult to approach the judiciary by every individual for such
issues, this AGM of AIPRPA resolves to urge the Government of India to issue
comprehensive instructions to all Departments on this important matter to stop
effecting any recovery from retiring officials or retired officials.
7. On extending
pensioner favourable court judgments to all similarly placed pensioners:
This Annual
General Body meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association being
held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th October, 2015 noted
with dismay that despite insistence by the Staff Side and various Pensioners
Organisations to extend the benefit of any judgment of Courts to all similarly
placed employees and pensioners instead of implementing only to the petitioner
concerned, there is no positive decision by the Government. It is also a fact
that any judgment of CAT or High Court or Supreme Court that goes against the
employee or pensioner, the same is extended to all similarly placed employees
and pensioners systematically. This discriminatory approach of selectively
respecting court judgments by the Government of India is unjustified and unethical.
It is also
pertinent to point out that the three judges bench of Honourable Supreme Court
had held out another judgment on
30-10-2013 stating that this approach of Government is causing unnecessary
wastage of public money and consuming valuable time of the Courts. This AGM of
AIPRPA therefore has resolved to urge upon the Government of India to extend
the benefit if any granted by Courts to any employee or pensioner to all similarly
placed persons also automatically without discrimination.
8. Resolution on
delayed grant of Pension and Family Pension to officials and dependents under NPS:
This Annual
General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Employees Association being
held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th of October, 2015 notes
with deep concern that there is considerable delay in sanctioning pension to
retiring officials covered under NPS Scheme. Similar delay is experienced in
the case of grant of family pension to the dependents of NPS officials also.
There are cases where even after more than two to three years pension or family
pension is not sanctioned to such persons. The livelihood of retired officials
as well as the dependent family members of NPS officials is fully resting on
the monthly pension or family pension irrespective of the meagreness of the quantum.
This AGM of AIPRPA has therefore resolves to urge upon the Government to issue
suitable instructions to PFRDA authority to ensure sanction of pension or
family pension to NPS cases on par with the time limit taken for sanction of
pension / family pension under Defined Pension Scheme.
9. Resolution on
biometric linking of Aadhar Card to PPOs:
The instruction
to link the Aadhar card of Pensioners with the PPOs may not pose any bigger
problem if it is only a matter of submission of a self attested photocopy of
the aadhaar cards by the pensioners, who are
having such aadhar cards. But the insistence that the pensioners must
physically come to the HPOs and biometrics to be taken from them by the Department for linking the aadhaar
cards are causing much suffering to the pensioners at their old age. There are
many instances wherein the biometric of fingers and eyes taken are not approved
in spite of their having issued with aadhar cards earlier. The senior citizens
at their old age are unnecessarily sent from pillar to post for set righting
this problem. This AGM of AIPRPA therefore resolves to urge the Government to
not to insist for linking of Aadhaar Cards with biometric reverification but
simply accept the self-attested photocopy of aadhar cards from pensioners who
are having such aadhar cards at present.
10. Resolution on non-issue of revised PPOs to Postal
Pensioners:
The issue of
non-issue of revised PPOs to Central Government Pensioners is an item
continuously under discussion in SCOVA meetings and the progress is being
intimated by the Ministry of Pension in successive meetings. In the recently
held SCOVA meeting on 13th October, 2015 also the information is
provided that only around 8000 cases are still to be issued with fresh PPOs in
the case of Postal Pensioners. However, this AGM of AIPRPA finds that many
pensioners are yet to be issued with revised PPOs in many postal circles. As
the 7th CPC is expected to submit its recommendations soon, and the
pension is expected to be revised once again, the work of issue of revised PPOs
for Pre-2006 pensioners cannot be delayed further. This AGM of AIPRPA therefore
resolves unanimously to urge upon the Government to issue strong instructions
to complete the work of revised PPOs without any further delay.
11. Resolution on opening of new CGHS dispensary in the
bifurcated State of Andhra Pradesh as well as in all Revenue States without
CGHS at present:
Consequent on
bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Telengana and Andhra recently, the only CGHS
exists in Hyderabad City comes under the Telengana State and the State of
Andhra Pradesh is left without any CGHS at all. There are many instances of
such bifurcation of States in the past resulting in one of the bifurcated
states left without any CGHS in the past. This AGM of AIPRPA also finds that
there are many revenue States in the country without any CGHS at present.
Though the CGHS dispensaries are formed under certain specifications like total
number of beneficiaries in that city etc, it is felt that such specifications
require suitable relaxation to ensure at least one CGHS dispensary in each
State. In addition to larger States like Andhra now going without any CGHS,
there are many remote and difficult states in North Eastern part of the country
without any CGHS at present. This AGM therefore urges upon the Government of
India to consider to relax the conditions for opening a CGHS to enable each
State gets at least one CGHS dispensary without exception. In addition it is to
be ensured that all employees and pensioners of every circle or state to enrol as
CGHS beneficiary without discrimination as held out by the judgment of Kerala
High Court and also to authorise one qualified referral hospital in each revenue
district for the benefit of taking treatment by employees and pensioners
without the strain of travelling to the only CGHS available in the State as
directed by the Kerala State Human Rights Commission. This AGM of AIPRPA urges
for favourable action in this matter.