My telephonic interaction with a few pre-August 1997
retiree-members of
the affiliate Associations of the Class I
retirees' Federation
indicate that Mr G N Sridharan,
Gen, Secy has assured them that he
proposes to furnish
the full list of pre-August 1997 retiree members to
LIC irrespective of their fulfilling the criteria laid down
by LIC in its letter dt 6/7/2015 to the Federation.
My information is that
there is no official communication by way of a circular from the
Federation in regard to the steps taken by the Federation for securing
interim relief to its members as per the SC order dt 7/5/2015.
- Will the Federation come out with the list furnished to LIC CO in public domain so that eligible members will satisfy themselves that their names find a place in the list and any omissions can be brought to the notice of the Federation?
The more crucial point that emerges
is that if the Federation has furnished the complete list of
pre-August 1997 retiree members,whether LIC will act on the list. In all
probability, they will not. To my knowledge at least one affiliated
Association,viz,.Cuttack Association was formed in 2010 and if the names
of members of that Association have been furnished,we can expect LIC
not to consider them eligible for payment of interim relief.
The
better course for the Federation would have been to reply to LIC that
as the Delhi HC judgment was for payment of benefits in rem the
Federation had no list to furnish and that LIC could act according to
the judgment by reference to its own pensioners' records.Instead it has
walked into the trap laid by LIC to successfully escape from charges of
contempt of Supreme Court orders.Ultimately the gap between the interim
relief payment and the potential final relief is narrowing every day
with pensioners' mortality taking its toll.
With greetings,
C H Mahadevan