SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 14: Retired employees of Coal India Limited (CIL), who do not get official medical facilities due to low pension payments, have launched a campaign to be linked to the Ayushman Bharat health scheme.
As per CIL guidelines, the retired coalmen have to deposit Rs 40,000 for getting medical facilities. Since these retired coalmen of Jharkhand based Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Central Coalfield Limited (CCL) and Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) and other subsidiary companies of CIL are not able to deposit Rs 40,000, they are deprived of the medical facilities.
Coal Pensioners Association president Ramanuj Prasad Singh said that around 1.26 lakh retired coalmen draw merely Rs 49 to Rs 1000 as pension. In such a situation they were not in a position to deposit Rs 40,000 to get treatment facilities from CIL. “So, we (retired coalmen) have launched a campaign to be attached to the ambitious health scheme of Prime Minister Ayushman Bharat Yojna. All the retired employees (who get nominal pension) have been asked to submit their applications to their nearest branch in this regard to get the benefit of Ayushman Bharat Yojna,” said president Prasad.
Over 1.26 lakh coal pensioners, who draw nominal pension between Rs 49 to Rs 1000 have been agitating for revision of their pension for the last several years. They even did gherao of the Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization (CMPFO) headquarters when CMPFO management, CIL Ministry of Coal and PMO office did not take cognizance of their plight.
“Condition of coal company hospitals is not up to the mark today. Due to the lack of medicines in coal company hospitals, retired coalmen have to purchase them from the market which is beyond their pocket due to their nominal pension. If we are attached with the Ayushman Bharat Yojna, we would be able to get Rs 5 lakh treatment facilities,” said Prasad.
