Highlights of 27th SCOVA Meeting held on 13.10.2015 – BPS
The Managing Committee Member of BPS and the SCOVA Member rom NFRPA Shri.S.M.Kanjilal published the highlights of the 27th SCOVA Meeting held on 13th October 2015 on the official blog of Bharat Pensioners Samaj(BPS).
Brief of 27th SCOVA Meeting
The 27th meeting of SCOVA was held at Vigyan Bhawan on 13th Oct,15 at 11 hrs. The meeting was Chaired by Dr. Jitendra Singh , the Uninon Minister of State(IndependentCharge) for DoNER,Public Grievances & Pension, Atomic Energy and Space . Mr. Harjit Singh ,Joint Secretary ,(P&PW) submitted his welcome address to the house . After that all the Delegates attended the meeting introduced themselves, while as per programme Introductory remarks were placed by Secretary(P&PW).Later Hon’ble MOS(PP), Chairman SCOVA, addressed the meeting. He said that retired employees should become torch bearers of Start-up-India, Stand-up India initiative. Addressing the meeting, he called upon the pensioners to involve their vast experience and resources to assume the role of job creators. He said that the pendency without reason has to be taken care of completely. Sri Devendra Choudhury, Secretary DOP&PW beside others stated that department of P&PW has set a deadline of one months time during which backlog of 2200 pending pension grievances will be settled. He referred several welfare projects of GOI. It is reported that 19 Pensioners Association registered themselves under the initiative Sankalp.After his deliberation discussion was held on ATR on the points raised in the 26th Meeting of SCOVA and on Fresh Agenda items. The brief of the discussions appended below.
ATR of the 26th Meeting of SCOVA:
Item 1. Sl. No.1 of ATR, Status of issue revised PPO : On item (a),(b) and (c) no comments from the representatives of the Pensioners Association. However, on Ministry of Railways , the figure shown is confusing and promptly brought to the notice of the Chairman by the representative of NFRPA. He questioned when it is recorded in 6th CPC report that the total numbers of railway pensioners prior to 2006 was more than 10 lacs how the total revised cases of railway pensioners can be 1,10,543. No positive reply was there from official side. As regards the problems of dispatch of revised PPO to the pensioners address for not having the present address,the suggestion of NFRPA to handover the PPO to the pensioners through PDA had been taken into consideration.
Item 2 Sl.No. 3 of ATR Health Insurance : No comments
Item 3 Sl.No. 5 of ATR : Special Family Pension : Concerned Defence Pensioners Association raised some queries and questioned which have been discussed and noted.
Item 4, 5, 6 : Nothing specific discussed, except some grievances on Medical issues.
Item 7 Sl.No.9 of ATR : On the benefit of Rs. 4600 GP. It is stated that the concerned file is still pending with Department of Expenditure. On being urged to fix a time line by the representative of NFRPA,Guwahati,Assam, it is stated that within 10 days the file will be returned with comments to concerned Department.
Item 8 to 16 issues related to BSNL, Ministry of Health, DOP&PW etc have breen dicussed by the concerned reprentatives of the Pensioners Associations.
On Fresh Agenda of 27th Meeting.
1. On issue of acknowledgement to pensioners submitting life Certificate : CPAO formulated a format of Life Certificate which had been supplied to the Delegates and stated that the format will also be available in the wwebsite of CPAO.
2. Extension of the benefits of OM dated 28.01.13 less than 33 years : Stated that the matter is subjudiced.
3. On health issues (27.3,27.4) : On CGHS facilities various discussion were held . On RELHS issue NFRPA has proposed to include SMART CARD issue in the agenda which have not been taken. NFRPA representative raised the issue of SMART CARD. But the representative of official side of Railways failed to give any suitable reply.
4. On illegal recovery of pension vis a vis reduction of pension : The matter has been refered to DoPT on 07.06.15. DoPT informed on 30.06.15 that the matter is under consideration especially on the issues of impermissible-ness of recovery based on the letter of OM dated 06.02.14 and recent SC Judgments. It is stated that order may be issued for implementation of the guide lines prescribed by Hon’ble SC. On being insisted by the representatives of NFRPA, it is stated that before 27th Oct,15 the order will be issued. NFRPA also requested to review the issue of reduction of pension in fixing the Minimum Pension which has been done in misinterpreting the contents of the 6th CPC Resolutions and OM No. dated 1.9.2008 and 28.1.13respectively, wherein it is categorically stated that minimum pension in no case should be less than 50 % of the minimum pay of the pre-revised scale of the corresponding scale from which pensioner had retired.
5. On implementation of circular of P&PW(A) No. dt 30.7.15 it is directed that revision of pension in respect of all the pending cases must be completed by concerned Dept. by 16.10.15
6. On facility for online railway booking : NFRPA representative requested to extend the facility to Pass holders also so that the Retired Rly Pensioners can also avail this facility.
S.M.Kanjilal
General Secretary(A)
SCOVA Member from NFRPA & Managing Committee Member BPS