SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 5: All India Coal Pensioners Association, the body of beleaguered retired coalmen of Coal India Limited (CIL,) has written a letter to 60 ruling as well as Opposition MPs for raking up the pension revision issue in the ensuing monsoon session of the Parliament.
The association in the letter has written to the MPs that coalmen who retired before 2006 have a minimum pension of Rs 49 only in lack of revision of pension scheme. In the last 7 years, around 75,000 pensioners have died in penury and the remaining are facing starvation-like situations due to meagre pensions. So, they need to rake up the issue of bailing out the troubled retired employees.
Association’s President Ramanuj Prasad said that since the coal secretary, commission of Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization (CMPFO) failed to take cognizance of retired coalmen’s (before 2006) plight, the retired employees’ body had to write to the MPs of the ruling and opposition parties to mount pressure on the ministry of coal. So far, they have written to 60 MPs.
“Besides MPs, Coal Pensioners Association has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding revision of pension as the Congress government did nothing for over one lakh retired coalmen (before 2006). It had high hope from the Modi government which came into power in 2014. But so far in eight years, the retired employees have only got disappointment from his government too,” said Prasad.
Association ruled that CMPFO has enough fund to revise the pension scheme despite management having proposed to build headquarter at Ranchi after purchasing land. CMPFO has already well-established headquarters in Dhanbad and has been functioning for decades for the facility of coalmen.
“So the retired employees’ body has urged the PM to settle the pensioners’ problem on a priority basis so that helpless old aged retired employees of Coal India Limited lead their remaining lives in honour,” said Ramanuj Prasad.
Earlier, the Pensioners Association had also written to PMO but did not get any response.
