SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 25: Coal Pensioners Association (CPA), the frontal organization of retired employees of the coal industry, has launched an online signature campaign for pension revision.
Under the campaign, one lakh online signatures of retired coal employees and their family members would be sent to the Government of India in support of their demand for revision of pension that is held up since 1998.
Coal Pensioners Association president Ramanuj Prasad said that in the last 24 years, not a single penny has increased in the pension of employees. The coal employees who retired before 1998 draw a meagre pension of Rs 49. They are not linked with DA.
“So, pensioners have decided to submit a petition to the government of India with the signature of more than one lakh retired affected employees for revising the pension,” said president Ramanuj Prasad.
Coal Pensioners Association said that these retired coal industry employees and their families are struggling hard to maintain their livelihood due to meagre pension payments (Rs 49 only). They claimed not only employees, even the general manager rank officers who retired before 1998 are facing a similar situation due to non-revision of pension for 24 years.
Though a petition in this regard is pending in the court, Pensioners Association has given a petition to PMO, the ministry of coal and the commissioner of Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization (CMPFO) for revising the pension but of no avail. Their hope of revision has rekindled as CMPFO has got a regular commissioner after five years this month. The beleaguered pensioners hope he (the new commissioner) would do something to solve the long-pending due demand of retired coal employees.
Pensioners Association has also suggested that CMPFO management and the ministry of coal use surplus amount of administrative funds for increasing the pension of employees who retired before 1998 and struggling hard for survival.
“Pensioners hope their one lakh signatures would wake up the government of India from slumber and would do justice with beleaguered retired coal employees,” said the CPA president.
