The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Letters to the Editor

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L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

PSU staff pension meagre

Largely, there has been parity of pay scales and other facilities between employees of the central public sector and the Central government. But there is a big disparity between the two sets of employees post retirement. The retired government employees have pay scale revisions and a DA-linked pension scheme plus other facilities whereas their counterparts in central PSUs have to depend on the interest generated by contributory PF payments (if saved).

In earlier stages, some similarity was felt between the pension of the government service retirees and the income generated through interest earned on contributory PF paid to public sector retirees. But now the gap between the two incomes has increased because of lowering of bank interest rates (which are now almost half of what they were about 15 years back) and the galloping cost of living (gone up nearly 10 times in the last 15-20 years). The public sector retirees are finding it extremely difficult to meet their household, medical and other family expenses from the interest generated from their FDs.

The situation is particularly relevant to central public sector employees who retired prior to 2004 when the National Pension Scheme came into existence. Their plight needs a sympathetic look. They should be paid inflation-linked/special/enhanced interest rates on their FDRs. They should also be reimbursed medical expenses or covered under the CGHS on a par with the central government employees. Or, some other sort of DA-linked monthly income payment needs to be made to them and their families to enable them to lead a respectable retired life.

T.N. Kashyap, Palampur

AAP ki sarkaar

Arvind Kejriwal's refusal of the security cover and official accommodation, to which he becomes entitled as Chief Minister of Delhi has invited applause from a section of society and certain sceptics have termed it as mere "rhetoric". Of course, there is an urgent need to bid adieu to the pompous VIP culture, taking our elected representatives far from the common man who only desires that there be easy access to the former. Personal security commensurate with one's threat perception, if any, is indispensable, else the occurrence of any untoward incident would be termed as failure of the law enforcement agencies. It would be appreciable if Kejriwal accepts his entitlements and other pre-requisites and directs their usage in a just and reasonable manner, giving a loud and clear signal of being "AAP Ki Sarkar" in letter and spirit. The same might be emulated by his counterparts too.

HEMANT KUMAR, Ambala City

Jatt Sikhs not OBCs

I am surprised to know from The Tribune that some top leaders belonging to the Jatt Sikh community want the entire community to be enlisted in the category of other backward classes (OBCs). This is absurd and ridiculous. The Jatts in Punjab are no less than the Khatris, Aroras, Brahmins and Banias of the state.

All Sikh maharajas, barring those of the Kapurthala State, belong to the Jatt community. Almost all big allottees in Lyallpur, Montgomery and Sargodha were Jatt Sikhs. Most of the British-recognised Sikh chiefs were Jatts. Jatts are represented well in the elite civil services of India like the IAS, IFS and IPS. Almost all chief ministers of Punjab have been Jatt Sikhs. They are inferior to none.

A few years ago an attempt was made to enlist members of the Saini Sikh community among the backward classes. The community fiercely resisted the attempt. I don't know as to why the Jatt Sikh community in Punjab is being misled to seek reservation in services. They need to think afresh.

HARJAP SINGH AUJLA, New Jersey (USA)

Honour of India or babus?

The entire Indian foreign service bureaucracy, the custodian of India’s interests, has been antagonised by a colleague’s traumatic experience. My question is where was this bureaucracy when our Defence Minister and former President Dr Kalam were searched in the USA? The issue has been blown up just because a bureaucrat is involved. The bureaucracy is fighting for the honour of its diplomat and not for India.

C Kumar, Gurgaon