MATTERS OF URGENCY
Referring to the Circular of Mr G N Sridharan, Gen Secy of the Class I Retirees’ Federation, I feel some response is warranted.
It is amusing when the Gen Secy writes “Our Fedn has taken a policy decision to oppose any petition from any quarters other than the parties involved in the three WPs remanded by the Supreme Court to the Delhi HC, and accordingly we have suitably instructed our counsel.”
I would like to only ask him what was the Federation doing when the Hyderabad Association filed an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court? Now, why this sudden possessiveness on their Writ Petition which has been set aside by the Supreme Court on 31/3/2016? Of course, as and when our Writ Petition is opposed, our Hyderabad Association leadership will handle the matter suitably.
Incidentally, protagonists of the move for unity of approach for winning the pensioners’ legal battle, kindly note this proposed move of the GNS Federation!
No doubt Hyderabad Association is a breakaway Association, but we are not a breakdown organization.We don’t break down our membership into pre-August 1997 and post July 1997 retirees for espousing the cause of one group at the cost of the other group which constitute a majority in membership. We also don’t believe in claiming that we have achieved benefits for a section when actually they have been betrayed in the matter of securing proper benefits that they were entitled to get.
At this stage even though Supreme Court had ordered on 31/3/2016 that LIC should pay Interim relief of 40% of entitled amount to all similarly placed pensioners as per para 3A of Appendix IV, is the Federation at least aware that the basic DR anomaly created from 1/11/1993 still lingers and any benefit provided without rectifying the anomaly will not render justice to the pensioners concerned? Is the Federation aware that what LIC has paid to the pre-August 1997 retirees is not as per the Supreme Court order? Or is the Federation aware that perhaps tens of thousands of family pensioners have got IR of Re1/- and Rs 2/- perhaps because of rounding off to the higher Rupee? Even though the large number of recipients of the benefits has been disappointed with the short-payment made by LIC, there has been no word from the Federation in public domain. I am not aware of any snail mail circular that might have been issued dealing with that problem.
But now when we in the Hyderabad Association are trying to help such pensioners, we are accused by Mr Sridharan of shedding crocodile tears.
I can assure all pensioners that for many pensioners I have been providing comparative calculations of what the pensioners should get and what they actually got so that it will help them in their case and for making appropriate use for their own benefit.Many pensioners are contacting me over phone and through email for the purpose and I have also responded to them with my calculations for them.
Mr GNS has accused us saying ” the Hyd. Leaders who were totally against any benefit accruing to the old generation pensioners of pre 97 category…..”.Nothing can be farther from the truth. We have been always urging that the old generation pensioners should be given the proper and adequate benefit and not the benefit doled out by LIC by its arbitrary and distorted interpretation of the LIC Board Resolution and Court orders. It was only the Federation that compromised the interest of the large number of pre-August 1997 retirees when they willingly responded to the 6th July 2015 letter of the Corporation giving a list of members ( God knows whether it was subject to audit by LIC) which if had not been done would have resulted in all similarly placed retirees also getting the 20% interim relief in September 2015.
The Class I retirees’ Federation has always been diffident when it came to fighting on the issue of upgradation of pension and one is not sure whether the present move of filing an amended writ including prayer for upgradation is not an act of shedding crocodile tears for the post July 1997 retirees constituting majority of the Federation’s membership.
All Associations are approaching pensioners for donations, but why Mr GNS is singling out Hyderabad Association for accusations when we are not competitors to the Federation and have our own constituency of pensioners at large whom we want to help through our Association’s legal fight?
Mr GNS has again made a claim of exclusivity that “the contribution of 5% out of 40% IR shall be legitimately be due only to our organization”.If he is able to convince the pensioners of his claim ,we have no quarrel with that. But LIC pensioners will judge for themselves who they can credibly depend on for securing justice.
Greetings.
C H Mahadevan
"Re: Matters of Urgency
Meantime we learn that the breakaway group of Hyderabad has filed what they claim to be a 'comprehensive writ'., and it is likely to come up in a day or two. Our Fedn has taken a policy decision to oppose any petition from any quarters other than the parties involved in the three WPs remanded by the Supreme Court to the Delhi HC, and accordingly we have suitably instructed our counsel.
It is strange that the Hyd. Leaders who were totally against any benefit accruing to the old generation pensioners of pre 97 category unless and until up gradation for all is granted by the judiciary, have now started shedding (crocodile) tears for them. They are wooing them for donations by highlighting the faulty calculation of arrears by LIC and suggesting that individual letters should be sent to Chairman. We have repeatedly said that we are seized of this issue and will be bringing this to the notice of the Delhi Hc and seeking appropriate directions through our Amendment petition. Besides we are also seeking relief for subsequent retirees (post 97) including updation in the context of the successive wage revisions for in-service employees. All pensioners will therefore kindly note that our petition will be no less comprehensive.
In this background, we appeal once again that the contribution of 5% out of 40% IR shall be legitimately be due only to our organisation especially when the same was granted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court based on the specific prayer of ours against Rule 3A and on the pleading made before the court by our St. Counsel and also by the counsel for the Jaipur petitioners.
While on the subject of donations we may recall that we had also taken up the cases of pensioners eligible for IR at Barelly Mysore and Kozhikode. It is gratifying that in recognition of our contribution to their cause new units affiliated to our Fedn have been formed in the first two of the said three centers and we hope Kozhikode will also follow suit In meantime. We specially look forward to contributions from these centers . Cheques/DDs may be drawn in the name of our Fedn and sent to me at the earliest
With greetings
GN Sridharan
Gen.Sevy Federation of Retd. LIC Class I Officers Assns"