In the picture from (l to r) S/Shri YV Subba Rao, Sreenivasa Murty, SK Roy,Chairman,
CH Mahadevan and V. Krishnan
The highlights of the discussion and the Chairman’s responseswere as follows:
1. Pension related
issues. Chairman said he looks at this more as a humanitarian issue than legal.
2. To our query on
what according to him is the way out from the present impasse,
Chairman went in to
some detail and explained LIC’s efforts with the Government (some time ago)
to permit DR
anomaly removal (there was no hint of 11.25% weightage) etc.,. We asked him
why it was not
done? The fairly long discussion ended up noting the fact that the matters are
now in Supreme Court
and so any finality is possible only when SC decides the appeals.
We explained to
Chairman that the method contemplated by the Corporation to keep the
revised pension as at 1/8/1997 static without following the principle of merger
on
the subsequent wage revision dates of 1/8/2002 and 1/8/2007 for them will
still
leave anomalies to persist giving rise to potential spate of litigations.
3. At this stage we
informed Chairman that the Pensioners are making all out efforts to secure
early hearingby the Supreme
Court and asked him ‘when we make the plea before the Bench will LIC support oroppose?’ Chairman
promptly said ‘why would LIC oppose? We support such a prayer as it is in theinterests of all
that the appeals are heard and decided at the earliest.
4. On the question of
Pension revision coinciding with each wage revision, Chairman saidit is for the
Government to take a policy decision and in his view Govt is concerned with the
ripple effectand the possible
demands for similar relief in Banking Sector. When we asked him why he was
battingfor IBA instead of
fighting for his own Pensioners, he hastened to say that he was not batting for
IBA butwas only referring
to the likely stand of the Government.
5. We asked the
Chairman what is holding LIC from implementing the judgement in MC Jain case.Chairman said
although MC Jain’s case was filed by one individual LIC intends to give the
relief toall those who are similarly placed
and hence it is taking time.
1. Group MediClaim - Extending total Cashless - Hospitalization &
Treatment
facility, already prevalent elsewhere
2. Issuance of ID Cards to all pensioners covered by the Mediclaim
Scheme,
without any further delay.
3. One more option to join Group Mediclaim Scheme for retirees who could
not
opt earlier.
4. Revision of Family Pension on the pattern of RBI revision.
To the above requests Chairman said he has no latest information with
him but will have them examined
and decided at the earliest.
Formal periodical interface with Pensioners’ Associations at C O & ZO levels:. He said pensioners can meet him any time.
CONCLUSION: Chairman thinks Rajasthan Judgement is wrong because it directed LIC to do what it cannot do under law.
Meeting with Shri S K Roy, Chairman, LIC 10.12.2014
We are grateful to the Chairman for not only to have agreed to meet us, the representatives of the Retired LIC Class I Officers’ Association, Hyderabad, but also for facilitating the meeting at Hyderabad itself.
We are deeply touched by your gesture, Sir. THANK YOU.
Sir, we placed before you a brief note listing out the few issues of concern to all LIC Pensioners. The main issue viz., Pension Revision & the DR Anomaly rectification is too well known to all the concerned parties and warrants no further elaboration.
Sir, time has come to look at the issue beyond its ‘sub-judice’ status, beyond the constraints of the vexatious ‘legal’ contours coming in the way of a resolution. Here comes the need and justification for the Chief Executive of the mighty Corporation to ‘make the difference’. It is our information that the Government of India is not against periodical pension revision in LIC. That could make all the difference and any gracious initiative from LIC should lead to a lasting resolution and win back this hapless segment of the LIC family who now feel alienated.
Yet another much awaited relief is the extension of the total cashless hospitalization and treatment facility under the group Mediclaim scheme. Sir, it is necessary, possible and in fact overdue. It is rather ironical that the Insurer is willing and even eager to extend it but the Insured (LIC) is not ready. Some of the apprehensions coming in the way of formalizing the facility have been explained to be fallacious. When approved it will be a win-win for ALL.
One of the incongruities which we perceive as a possible reason for the state of despair among the Pensioners in LIC, is the absence of a formal mechanism enabling periodical interface between the top management of the Corporation and the Pensioners’ representatives at C O & ZO levels. This may be addressed appropriately ASAP.
We look forward to Chairman giving the nod, for these urgent aspirations which could even be from this venue itself.
Hyderabad (M.Sreenivasa Murty) PRESIDENT