Employee Pension Scheme row: NAC proposes to offer one-month services for free

The National Agitation Committee (NAC) today said it has proposed to the government that around 45 lakh pensioners would offer their one-month services for free as the Centre has so far not accepted their demands for increasing pension. This proposal was given by the NAC national president Ashok Raut in his meeting with Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar on March 22. The committee has demanded Rs 7,500 per month minimum pension under Employee Pension Scheme 1995 and pension based on higher salary. "As per the proposal, around 45 lakh pensioners, falling under the age group of 58 to 65 years, would offer their one month services for free," he said in a statement. Based on their experiences and skills they would contribute towards the cause of nation-building and in "this way, the government will receive a total workforce of 13.50 crore man days per year and the money saved from this would roughly amount to Rs 20,250 crore," he said.

The money generated in this form, he said, could easily be utilised to fulfill all the demands of the pension holders, he added. Raut said that despite paying Rs 417, Rs 541 and Rs 1,250 per month during service days as contribution for pension, the pensioners receive the "paltry" sum in the range of Rs 200 to Rs 2,500 as a pension. "It doesn't require rocket science for one to understand how difficult it is these days to run a household with such a meagre sum of money," he said. Raut said that the Labour Ministry has assured them to prepare a draft based on these demands and promised to forward it to the finance ministry and the Prime Minister's Office for the approval.

"But sadly, nothing concrete in this direction has happened as no mention of the same was made in the finance minister's Budget speech, this year," he added.