Punjab /PSPCL pensioners warn voting against govt in Lok Sabha polls
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 18, 2024: The Punjab government and PSPCL pensioners have warned of a protest and voting against the state government if their demands are not resolved within the specific time frame.
"Punjab government and PSPCL pensioners and their families, who are a few lakh in number, are silently up in arms against the government and may vote against it in upcoming Lok Sabha elections, "said Shyam Lal Sharma, President Punjab Civil Secretariat Officers Retired Association.
He said that the Punjab government is not listening to the problems of pensioners regarding proper fixation of pension as per rules and as such pensioners may vote against the present government. Even the payable dues as per September 2021 notification regarding 6th Pay commission is not being granted.This amount runs into lakhs of rupees.
The Department of Finance,Punjab has not issued concordance tables for linking the notional pension with the last pay drawn and rather liking the pension with annual increments earned in the last rank in which a person has retired.
Section 5.1(a) of circular number 19/ 2021 states that 'the pay band and grade pay of the post from the government employee has retired is to be used to determine the corresponding level in the pay matrix.' The implementation of this clause has created endless anomalies whereby those retiring in junior scales and ranks are fixed at a higher pension than those retiring in senior ranks.This is due to the fact that the Finance department has not issued concordance tables alike central government, Haryana and Himachal and other states across India.
. BN Pujara , Superintending Engineer(retired) from Irrigation Department has been fixed at a basic pension which is Rs.fourteen thousand lesser than his junior Executive Engineer Madan Lal of the same department. Darshan Singh Chief Engineer Irrigation has been fixed at a basic pension lesser than the juniors.The situation in PSPCL , is even worse where the aforesaid clause 5.1(a) is being interpreted even more negatively and "pensioners are being fixed even at a lower level than their counterparts in Punjab government and there is no system to address the issue", said Raj Kumar Garg a retired Addl. Superintending Engineer.
It may be mentioned that the Delhi High Court has directed the Government of India in its judgement 20th. March 2024 to "fix the pension of pre 2006 pensioners at par with the post 2006 pensioners". The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently fined Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam( DHBVN) Rs 8lac for harassing a pensioner, and laid down that " pensionary benefit is a constitutional right".
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