Govt Demands Response on Pre-2016 Pension Discrepancies in MP

Pension Revision Demand for Pre-2016 Retirees

The Madhya Pradesh Pensioners Welfare Association has strongly urged the state government to revise the pensions of government employees and their families who retired before January 1, 2016. This revision should be brought in alignment with the current pension system of the Central Government.

To address this crucial issue, the association has submitted a detailed memorandum to the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department of the Madhya Pradesh government. The memorandum calls for the immediate rectification of serious discrepancies related to pension revision and the protection of pensioners' interests.

Central Guidelines as Basis for Revision

Mr. Amod Saxena, the State President of the association, provided extensive details. He highlighted that the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions of the Government of India had issued significant letters on May 12, 2017, and the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) on May 23, 2017. Based on these communications, the pensions of Central Civil Pensioners who retired before January 1, 2016, were revised.

During this revision process, a provision was made for the notional fixation of pay based on the employee's post and pay scale at the time of retirement. The pension was then to be revised based on this notional pay.

Call for Uniform Pensionary Benefits

Amod Saxena further clarified that the Madhya Pradesh government has also followed the pay scales and formula adopted by the Central Government in its pension revision process under the seventh pay commission. Given that the state government has adopted the central system, the association argues that distinguishing between pensioners who retired before and after January 1, 2016, in terms of pension revision is unjustifiable.

The association believes that pensioners in similar categories should receive pension benefits on the same basis, irrespective of their retirement date. Mr. Ganesh Dutt Joshi, the Patron of the association, emphasized the need for the Madhya Pradesh government to revise the pensions of pre-2016 pensioners in the state, mirroring the Central Government's approach.

“The mere difference in retirement dates should not lead to any disparity in pensionary benefits for pensioners of the same category. Everyone should receive equal benefits commensurate with their service period.”

Principle of Equality and Pensioner Dignity

Mr. Suresh Sharma, the President of the Bhopal district unit, shed light on the core objective of pension revision. He stated that in today's era of rising inflation, providing retired employees and their families with a dignified and adequate financial security is the most crucial aim of pension revision.

He stressed the importance of ensuring that employees who have served the government faithfully and diligently for years receive appropriate pension benefits as per their rights. Suresh Sharma referenced the principle of equality established by the Supreme Court in various judgments, arguing that discriminating between pensioners of the same category based solely on retirement dates violates this principle.

Urgent Need for Clear Directives

Other senior office bearers of the association, including Vice Presidents Santosh Thakur and Shailendra Srivastava, Secretaries Ramgopal Mathur and Yashwant Singh Bais, Joint Secretary Shakuntala Verma, and Executive Member Sangeeta Srivastava, have also urged the state government to take immediate action and issue a clear decision on this serious matter.

They clarified that to resolve the long-standing issue of pre-2016 pensioners and family pensioners, an explicit executive order or government circular is urgently needed. This would resolve the prevailing discrepancies in pension revision and provide relief to thousands of pensioners. The association has once again implored the state government to thoroughly study and examine the pension revision system adopted by the Central Government and to issue necessary orders swiftly in the broader interest of pre-2016 pensioners and their dependent family pensioners in Madhya Pradesh.