To
Sri Debashish Panda,
Secretary Finance,
DFS, MOF, GOI
New Delhi
S I R ,
Re: F. 1 417 192-IR (vol-ii) dated 24.2.2012-
ALLOCATION OF WELFARE FUNDS
- BANK RETIREES HEALTH INSURANCE
You are well informed of the precarious Health Security condition of Bank Retirees. From our side also we tried to invite your kind attention to this issue vide our mail dated 18.8.2021 & 24.8.2021.
The DFS above referred letter was addressed to Mr. Unnikrishnan, DCE, IBA, allocating Welfare Funds to PSBs. Banks were suggested as, "Banks may consider the option of group insurance policies for all serving and retired employees instead of paying benefits directly from the fund."
The DFS was aware that Retirees were given some Medical assistance from the WFs in cash or through insurance at Bank cost. That's why above new guideline was given. After above guideline, the IBA remain seated over issue for next 3 years and in 2015, much hyped Group Insurance Policy was brokered, but premium was left to be met by Retirees. Through this modus-operandi, the IBA advised Banks to DISCONTINUE all medical facilities then available at Bank cost. Here, the IBA totally denied the benefit as envisaged in letter referred above and withdrew Bank level schemes as well.
Current insurance cover shall expire w.e.f. 31.10.2021. As the position stands, only 25% retirees are insured, rest have dropped out due to unaffordability. 75% retirees are medically unsecured. Premium is so high, in certain cases, it needs 3 months' pension amount.
Further, when the Government has made due provision to provide health cover from WFs, how IBA or PSBs Chiefs can deny and deprive beneficiaries from their legitimate rights. Entire WFs are siphoned by working Executives to down level functionaries, who get high wages. Worst suffering retiree community is even denied 2 tablets for their life saving, while people in power dine Executive Thalis, read 5 news papers, need not to say how WFs are wasted like water, ignoring all rationale.
The Govt intention to help poorly paid section of working & retired bankmen is totally defeated. It's contrary to Government health programme of AYUSHMAN BHARAT under which a common man is given medical cover upto Rs.5 lakh. The spirit of WFs has been smashed by Bank management. Highly paid people get more share, as against lower one. And, retirees stand no where. It's sheer apathy, need your due attention.
We request you to please look into the rationale of WFs' uses. Please ascertain, whether really does it serve the purpose for which it is allocated. We want justifiable and purposeful utilization of WFs, otherwise let it be withdrawn, as there is no justification to fatten the fat belly of highly paid bank employees and officers, while depriving aging & ailing retirees from due medical care.
We are confident, you will lend your kind attention with a view to ensure due compliance of your letter under reference. Bank Retirees can't be ignored or forgotten. It's the intent of Hon'ble Finance Minister.
With Respectful Regards
(J. N. Shukla)
National Convenor
8.9.2021
9559748834
Copies to:
1. Sri Raj Kiran Rai,
Chairman, IBA
2. Sri Dinesh Khara,
Chairman, SBI
3. Sri Sunil Mehta,
Chief Executive, IBA
4. Sri Brajeshwar Sharma,
Sr. Advisor, IBA
For their kind information and favourable action.
Copy to:
Sister Nirmala Sitharaman,
Hon'ble Finance Minister,
GOI, New Delhi
- Just for information and cognizance, as to how, DFS own instructions are flouted, Retirees ignored & denied even the sanctioned facilities by government
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STRAIGHT TALKS.
We don't find it strange when some affluent and eating-drinking people rummage in the name of the poor. Ruminant means they are healthy, have taken plenty of food and are now ruminants in the process of digestion. They present themselves as representatives of the poor. A colleague of ours issued a message. He said, “Nations, who want to maintain their identity and status, decide their policies for the benefit of the people. The areas of work of the govts for the benefit of the people are (1) health, (2) education, (3) security and last but especially important (4) justice should be accessible soon." His opinion is: "If the govts himself conducts business or business activities, then surely the government's priority will be on profit-making to achieve the purpose of business being done by the government. If the government will run with the aim of earning profit from business, then it will not work for the benefit of the public, because work for the benefit of the people and profit-making are two opposing objectives. It is worth considering in the context of this fact that if any government system is for public interest, then it should never do business. This same principle is attested by the rule of traditional kings like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Yudhishthira, and later on, Vikramaditya, Chandra Gupta Maurya etc."
We can all agree that public welfare and trade are opposed to each other. Laughter and chuckles cannot go together. Public welfare is ensured by state management, while business takes extra price from the general public for the purpose of earning profit. One of our colleagues agreed, but probably questioned what was not there. He said, "After handing over the health, education and security system to private hands, what control will the government have over them for the public? And then what is the urgent need to give profit-making enterprises to private hands?" The matter was being talked about the responsibility of the government regarding health, education, security and justice, but here the question was turned upside down.
He argues, "The decision will not be balanced if we blindly support a leader/political party." Said again, "We pick a point and then on that basis we start supporting every move as right or wrong, as at present that point is Hindutva."
It is called: Look somewhere, aim somewhere. There was talk of governance, but the target was on the support of any party/leader and on Hindutva. If telling the truth is Modi's support then let it be, we will keep telling the truth. We cannot stop speaking the truth to please those who hate Modi. Not only Bharat Mata ki Jai, Vande Mataram, Jai Hind, we will also say that we are proud to be the Hindu. The sun cannot be covered by clouds.
The talk started with job of welfare governance and when proper reasoning is not found, then it is the ability of the sorcerer to move on to some other agenda while moving the digression. There was talk of the concept of Raj system, but the matter fell on Hindutva. Talk of 'Hindutva' is like 'blasphemy' for some people. This socialism, secularism, creates twist in the stomach. This poses a threat to democracy, socialism, secularism and in light of this danger some people advocate terrorists. However, it would not be right to get stuck on such a mentality. When there are many religions, beliefs, Hinduism is also a way of life, it cannot be ignored, that too in India, especially in the light of the fact that Hinduism rests on Sanatan Dharma and Sanatan Dharma from time immemorial, one can say, of human civilization. The place of origin is here from time immemorial. Hindu, this is their land.
The government should not be a businessman. The job of the government can never be to make profit. There were some areas in India after independence which were based on big capital and no one was ready to invest capital, but the existence of such industries was also necessary for the national development. In such a situation, for some selected works, the core sector was formed and many industries were established by the government. These industries used to fulfill the basic needs of the country, which no one else was ready to do. This was the compulsion of the government at that time. And, today exiting or monetizing such industries is called selling the country. Public sector scrap also carries monumental value. Instead of development work, the work of keeping the junk safe is being done with the money of the taxpayers. The result of such work was that the gold of the country had to be kept falling abroad.
A welfare state is envisioned by a deficit government. The government is only good, which runs in deficit finance. Profitable industries are being monetized in India, to augment funds for developmental purposes, they are not sold. Yes, there are some junks too, in the public sector and we don't understand that when we don't keep junk in our home in our private life, then how the same junk starts keeping monumental value in national life, how does it get attached to identity? Status quoism is the biggest obstacle in the progress of a nation.
We cannot remove someone's confusion from our point of view, when in fact someone is walking with a particular goal, especially the trainees of those flop political schools. People are not interested in such schools. There has been a growing awareness among the people that what is not relevant to the country is not relevant to it either. Some people are also bothered about nationalism.
It is so clear that the money that will come from the monetization of public enterprises will not go to the Italian or Swiss banks.
This topic is not of few words. There is an intriguing question related to economics and economy. We allow private traffic on the roads, governments collect taxes. This is not considered to be the sale of roads, so how is it if allowed to operate private trains on rail tracks? Many hotels of the country have been rented by the government, is this hotel to be sold? If we give our house on rent, will it be called selling the house? As far as banking is concerned, the banking business is the custodian of Jan Dhan, peoples savings. The security of this public money is important. Banks control, regulation and operation should be on strong parameters. Banks should be owned by the government, regulated and controlled by the Reserve Bank of India and operations should be under commercial autonomy. Consolidation of remaining public banks must be done soon.
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