APPEAL FOR JUSTICE TO SUFFERING 5 LAKH PENSIONERS

To

Sri Narendra Modi,

Hon'ble Prime Minister,

Govt of India,

New Delhi

&

His Hon'ble Cabinet Ministers

Respected Sirs/ Madams,

          APPEAL FOR JUSTICE TO

  SUFFERING 5 LAKH PENSIONERS 

WHY SUCH NEGLECT & ABUSE WITH

      FORMER BANK EMPLOYEES ?

Do Pensioners really deserve such unfair treatment, as is meted to them, by the Chiefs of Public Sector Banks, Indian Banks' Association or even by Department of Financial Services? 

In their yeaster years they did their best to make Nationalization successful and played pioneering role to take Banking services to the doors of common men, mobilized their idle savings and extended helping hand in their economic well being. 

Pensioners role, if judiciously & honestly examined, would prove to a catalyst of change of socia-economic condition of Indian masses. Today Pensioners are ridiculed, by none else other than their own Institutional heads who reached to such height on Pensioners shoulders & DFS remains onlooker.

Pensioners plights and difficulties caught the kind attention of Hon'ble Finance Minister, which she shared with media and one to one with Banks' Chiefs. She expressed her serious concerns towards sheer neglect & denial of Pensioners due by Bankers. She made her views eloquently clear, telling that the contributions of former bankers can't be ignored. 

On her intervention apparently some movement was seen at IBA/DFS level, but over the passage of time issue of pension revision is seem to be loosing it's intensity. A year is about to end, since the Finance Minister spoke about, but no any headway is apparently visible. 

The Bank pensioners have been in difficulty on two counts. First, financially, as their pension has never been revised since came into force from 1.1.1986. They get pension once fixed on retirement. Second, old age and illness, which get aggravated due to no medical help from the Banks.

Pensioners are very hopeful about the Pension Revision, because no one can misbehave with the 'words' of Hon'ble Finance Minister. There may be delay, but justice will be done to them, is their belief. Hope, this belief turn fruitful.

With regard to Health, Pensioners regret that despite very categorical advice vide DFS letter  F. No. .14/7/92-IR (Volume-ii) dated 24.2.2012 addressed to Indian Banks Association, Mumbai, Group Health Insurance is not given to Pensioners. Relevant clause of said letter envisages as under:

(ii) Banks may consider the option of Group lnsurance Policies for total serving and retired employees instead of direct payment of benelit from the Fund.

Through above letter Govt allocated Welfare Funds to PSBs. Retirees are equally entitled to benefits of said Funds. The Banks and operating unions have their own vested interests in Welfare Funds, so they are not sharing any amount with retired, but Pensioners do not know the interest of DFS, who is silent, despite thousands mails, letters from across the country, not getting the said govt advice implemented and health insurance given from WF to retired. 

Banks management and Unions consider the Welfare Fund as the inheritance of the working employees/officers, so they do not want to give any of it to the pensioners. This is malicious and a abrogation of Pensioners rights.

Pensioners request the Hon'ble Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in particular and all Hon'ble Cabinet Ministers,  Government of India, in general to have generous & sympathetic view for Pensioners pathetic condition and grant them justice to give them the Revised Pension and the Health Insurance from the Welfare Fund of Banks, which they are being denied till now and as a result they are falling prey to starvation, disease and death due to very low pension.

An early action prayed.

Regards,

J. N. Shukla

20.10.2021

9559748834