Most of us
are aware that up-gradation of pension periodically with every pay revision
that takes place once in five years, and DA anomaly with regard to cent per
cent neutralization for employees retired prior to 01.08.1997 have become a
contentious legal issue first in Jaipur and then in Punjab and Chandigarh, and
Delhi HIgh Courts with victories in many courts and a series of contempt
petitions and directions to LIC deposit amounts in all the courts. All petitions
together with an impleader by Hyderabad Class I officers pensioners
Organization headed by S/Sri Ch. Mahadevan, former ZM in charge South Central
Zone and M. Sreenivasa Murthy, formerly Regional Manager (L & HPF), SDM,
Hyderabad Division are permitted by the Supreme Court to be heard by a Division
Bench to be formed for the purpose by Delhi High Court with a time frame of
settlement of dispute before 31.08.2016. The demand of equitable pension with
no anomaly and no discrimination on the basis of dates of retirement is a
reasonable right of all pensioners, for which no section of the existing
employees should have any objection or reservation much less the leadership of
existing or retired.
I see in
the present scenario of judiciary in an assertive mood we can reasonably expect
people friendly verdicts than State friendly as was the experience of LIC
employees way back in 1977 and 1980 both at High Court and Supreme Court. After
a decade of series of scams and unfriendly compliance to the directions of Highest
Court by law enforcement wings the Judiciary must be rearing to assert and
demand compliance in the new dispensation. In this back ground the recent
pronouncement of judgment on 31.03.2016 assumes greater significance since it
has set aside employee-favorable judgments for lack of proper projection of
issue. In spite of setting aside, the SC injected a new flicker of hope on the
issue of updating of pensions giving first for some and second opportunity for
some to approach Delhi High Court which most of our members and leaders
unfortunately are not identifying to grab except perhaps Hyderabad Class I
officers Pensioners Association.
Now or
never golden chance is at our door step.
I wonder now reminiscing how our senior leaders Com. Saroj, Sunil and Chandrasekhar
bose had toiled all their lives enduring terrible, compared to today's travel
mechanism, physical suffering to indoctrinate not merely the ideology they
believed in but more importantly the cash and other benefits that LIC employees
were not getting, which they richly deserved to get and make them understand
that they actually deserved as employees. Proposals like Strike and loss of
wages can be easily understood to be very difficult task to convince people and launch them into action
but to convince the employees that your
basic should be this much and you should get DA at this rate and you have a
legitimate right to get 15% of wages as bonus without ceilings, these
illustrious leaders had to be away from their families for months. This was so
then and so it is today too is because every human being has an innate quality
or virtue to be humble, less selfish, contented, and basically satisfied with
what they have in respect of at least those born in our Bharata Khanda
according to ancient vedic sciences. Added to this attitude, our current life
style of middle class or upper middle class house hold, not worried about money
with one sibling at least well settled abroad or a prosperous techie in India,
a few chips to be obtained through legal battle as addition to the pension
packets in the evening of their lives is not drawing crowds, why crowds even
small groups.
There are
literally thousands of LIC pensioners across India thanks to the favorable
mortality and availability and affordability of life saving/extending drugs.
There is immense potential to make financial resources available to the
fighting fraternity. This can happen only if everyone active on chronicle
contributes his share at once and talks to others so that funds are galvanized
in record time as the task is daunting considering the quantum required and the
time at our disposal. My take is Retired LIC Class I Officers’ Association,
Hyderabad. What about you, friend?
May I,
therefore, make another appeal to the pensioner fraternity to follow upanishd
vaakya namely Utthishtatha, Jaagritha,
Prapya parrannibodhatha which is nothing but what Swamy Vivekananda
said long ago AWAKE, ARISE AND REST NOT TILL THE GOAL IS ACHIEVED.
G K
VISWANATHAM