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Pay panel’s raw deal for pensioners

For the pensioners, the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission have come as a bolt from the blue. First, the pay panel has recommended 20 per cent increase in basic pension at the age of 80 years. It goes up to 100 per cent increase at the age of 100 years with periodic increases in between. The retirement age of Central government employees is 60 years and on average a pensioner lives for 20 years after retirement. In other words, 99 per cent of pensioners would not get any benefit in increase of basic pension at all.

Shockingly, the reasonable demand for periodic raise in basic pension @ 5 per cent at the age of 65 years, 10 per cent at the age of 75 years and so on has been preposterously ignored.

Secondly, the pensioners living in non-CGHS (Central Govt. Health Scheme) areas are paid a fixed medical allowance of Rs 100 a month since 1996. In this regard, the pay panel’s point on “appropriate increase in the medical allowance” indicates its lackadaisical and perfunctory approach in the matter.

Dr PREM SINGH DAHIYA, President, Central Pensioners’ Welfare Association, Rohtak

II

The proposed benefits to the pensioners should be considered from the age group of 65 years and above, i.e. the senior citizens. The rate of pension increase is appreciable, but please make 65 years and above the starting point for this benefit so that those below 80 years can also avail themselves of this benefit.

It would be nice if the benefit of 50 per cent of the average emoluments and last drawn salary is not linked to 33 years of qualifying service; the present pensioners, pre- and post- 1986 retirees, should be given the benefit retrospectively, i.e. from the date of retirement. The pensioners not availing themselves of the CGHS may be given a reasonable amount as fixed out-patient medical allowance.

N.C. CHOPRA, Chandigarh

III

The Sixth Pay Commission report wants matching pay scales for the government employees at par with the corporate sector. It has suggested huge pay scales to the top officers. Surprisingly, the middle level officers have been given a raw deal. Also, the army personnel’s pay rise has not been rationalised in terms of proportionate ranking.

Overall, this will be a heavy burden on the exchequer. This will also adversely affect the economy by encouraging the galloping inflation. The prices of essential commodities will increase further, hitting the middle and low income groups.

GOPAL BHARGAVA, Delhi

IV

According to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation, the minimum-maximum salary ratio is said to be 1:12. This seems unjustified. Lower level staff get no perks while top officers have many, the value of which could be almost 50 per cent of the gross salary. The minimum-maximum ratio should not be higher than 1:10.

The recommendation for only three national holidays plus eight restricted/ optional holidays is commendable. Sometimes, the Central government offices remain closed for almost seven days. This will now become a thing of the past.

We need to create monitoring bodies at all levels of administration, which should periodically monitor and evaluate every employee’s performance and implement a system of reward and punishment. The incompetent, the inefficient and the corrupt should be shown the door. This is the only way to have a leaner, healthy and efficient administration.

HANS SAKHUJA, Jalandhar City

V

No doubt, the panel has done a good job. But it has failed to address one rank one pension for the pre-96, retiree ex-servicemen. They have been agitating for the same for so many years. It was a golden opportunity for the commission to resolve this problem once and for all. I request the Union Finance Minister to look into this problem.

D. R. GULATI, Ex- JWO, Nangal