" If you ask for the impossible, you obtain the best possible "
- Italian Proverb.
The proverb was quoted on pre- page to the Index page of the 5 th Central Pay Commission Report. It was, as if, a golden promising prologue to the recommendations that the Committee headed by Justice S.R. Pandian would make in the following pages of the 5th CPC Report. The Central Government employees and pensioners including family pensioners were immensely benefitted. The pay, pension and perks recommendations were 'Na bhuto' never before/never in the past in the history of government servants. It would be wrong to conclude the sentence by 'Na bhavishyati' never hereafter/never in the future because the recommendations of the next 6th CPC Report by the Committee headed by Justice B.N. Krisnha were a bonanza / a windfall to GOI employees and pensioners/to very senior pensioners including family pensioners of eighty and plus getting 20% to 100% more! Let us not forget that Shri P. Chidambaram, the former Finance Minister and Dr. Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister were at the helm / instrumental to implement the 5th and 6 th CPC recommendations.
The Fifth CPC had very clearly observed in its Report why periodic updating of pension is a must.
To quote verbatim from the Report :
"We owe it ( pension ) to pensioners that they live, not merely exist""As such, the pension should be fixed, revised, modified and changed in a way
not entirely dissimilar to the salaries granted to serving employees. "
Another one year and few months to go and the 7th CPC Report with significant recommendations shall be out to cheer the Central Government servants
FM (PC) or PM ( MS) did not do any good to - LIC pensioners - to old and v. old pensioners in
particular ; post 1997, 2002 and 2007 retirees have less/ lesser/ least to complain - as on date.
GOI,MOF and LIC have failed in their solemn duty to implement the judgements delivered by the Hon. Justices of High Courts/ the Supreme Court.
'Hope is life - living ; one should have die hard positive attitude ', the learned say. No, the pensioners cannot, any longer, live on ' hopes' ! When is the final deliverance of Justice to LIC pensioners ?
SN ( a 1992 pensioner )