LIC PENSIONERS CHRONICLE

NEW HOPE ON THE HORIZON - NEW COMPELLING NEED FOR UNITY OF APPROACH.

Mr Jejurikar's meeting with the Minister for Finance, as per the details reported to the Chronicle by Mr Agnihotri, is the best news for LIC Pensioners, in the recent past, because it was Mr Arun Jaitley, who was met and who promised action. THAT IS WHERE THE BUCK STOPS after all. We should all thank Mr Jejurikar for handling the matter so well.

The most basic of all human needs is the need to 
understand and be understood. The best way to
understand people is to listen to them.
D-DAY 12TH AUG GIVES A UNIQUE
OPPORTUNITY; SO IS MURTY'S VISIT.
He only says, why not we have a joint fight
against LIC and UOI.

Meanwhile, I discovered something of relevance regarding the D-day before the Supreme Court. Contrary to the general belief, the matter posted for 12th August 2014 is the Civil Appeals Nos 8959-8962 /2013 by LIC against KML Asthana and others and this date (having been allotted long before) has nothing to do with SC Proceedings dated 04/04/2014 in IA No 3 in CA No 9223 / 2013 filed by Shri G N Sridharan. There is no big impact due to this discovery, except that the SC Registry is yet to act on the Bench proceedings of 04/04/2014. Eventually, all three CAs shall be posted together on any day between 11th August and 14th August 2014. It could also be 12th August. The actual date should be known only around 1st August 2014.

While we wait with bated breath for the D-day before the Supreme Court, 7th July would pass in Chandigarh HC and so would 21st July in Jaipur - routinely and with no miracles happening at either place. Scene of action has to necessarily move to the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

On the other hand, we could certainly hope for our files in the Ministry of Finance getting dusted in the meantime, thanks to the several Memorandums submitted to different political heavy weights, latest and the most important being the one submitted to the FM himself.

Going by the responses of the Ministers who heard the Pensioners, some sort of formal and serious dialogue between LIC & Government AND Pensioners (obviously with the Organizations representing them) can be expected during the coming weeks. The occasion demands that the Organizations and the leaders heading them give up their 'touch me not' approach, sit together, form a common united front and present a strong case for the LIC Pensioners before the powers that be. Such a united approach if not a common front, is already the need of the hour, well before the D-day in the Supreme Court.

I have sought time to meet and talk to Shri GN Sridharan on 3rd and 4th July at Chennai. No points to score. Only facilitation is the Mission. And persuasion, the tool.  I pray for similar efforts with and within AIRIEF. 

The Prayer is addressed to everyone, whoever is listening.

Sreenivasa Murty, Mulukutla

Hyderabad