VERY IMPORTANT, INDIA PENSIONERS: her proposals regarding the elections

ele Pensioner Jan- March 2024-Editorial

PARLIAMENT ELECTION AND OUR TASKS.

The General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha has been declared by the Election Commission, and is scheduled to be held in seven phases starting from 19th April to 1st June, 2024 in various states and Union Territories.

This is a very crucial election as far as our country is concerned. Of course, we don't have any party politics, but we are bound to take care of the interests of our pensioners. What have been the policy of Modi government to the pensioners issues.

1. Pension Revision, the legitimate right of BSNL/ MTNL Pensioners due from 01-01-2017 is being treacherouly denied for the last 87 months.

2. Three instalments of IDA/ DR impounded during the Covid pandemic not refunded and rather rejected despite favourable court orders.

3. NJCM and Scova are being made a mockery during Modi regime, no settlement on any of the long pending demands, viz  Restoration of commutation after 12 years, one notional increment for pension to those who completed full one year service but retired before drawal of increment, Fixed Medical Allowance of Rs. 3,000, the only non -rejected demand of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, implementation of Option 1, recommended by the 7th Pay Commission, Restoration of Railway concession withdrawn during the Covid pandemic and no decision on appointment of 8th Pay Commission.

4. No decision on Restoration of Old Pension Scheme as NPS has already been proved to be a No Pension Scheme. Nothing is expected from the Secretary level Committee appointed by Modi government as we have seen the hostile stand of Modi government towards certain state governments which restored the OPS.

5. All the following recommendations of Parliamentary Committee are rejected outrightly by the Modi government.

(a) Aditional pension of 5% at 65, 10% at 70 and 15% at 75.

(b) CGHS Wllness Centres in all the districts in the country.

(c). Post justified doctors,  paramedical staff and nurses at the CGHS Wellness Centres.

(d) Ensure supply of sufficient medicines to the Wellness Centres.

(e) reimbursement of the full amount for treatment at the non - empaneled CGHS hospitals.

MODI GUARANTEES AND THE REALITIES.

So many guarantees are still being lavishly given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this election also. Let us examine what happened to the following " Guarantees " given in the past.

  1. The huge amount of black money siphoned off and deposited in the foreign banks will be brought back and Rs. 15 lakh each will be given to each and every citizen of India.

Nothing happened and the forces of black money are flourishing than ever.

2. 2 crore jobs will be generated every year to address the growing unemployment in the country.

The available vacancies in the Central government sector including Railways, more than 10 lakhs are not being filled up. The vacancies, after a specific period is being cancelled. Only contract and casual jobs are given. In the name of Agnipadh, even postings in the armed forces are made contractual. As a result the unemployment in the country has become alarmingly high that 83% of the unemployed are the educated youth.

3. Petrol price will be reduced to ₹ 50 per litre and LPG price also will be reduced.

In 2014, the petrol price was ₹70 and the cost of one barrel crude oil at international market was $ 136. LPG price was ₹410.

Now the crude oil price has fallen to $ 86 per barrel. But see the petrol price ₹110 per litre. What a wonderful magic? When the price of crude oil is reduced by about 40%, the petrol price hiked by 57%. How it happened? The total tax being levied on petrol and diesel is 66%, the highest in the world. Out of this ₹33 is the total of Additional Excise duty and Special Additional Excise duty which are not sharable with state governments.

Why Modi government resorted to such a cruel looting of the people?

In 2014, the Corporate Tax was 30%. In 2019,the rate of Corporate Tax under Modi regime is only 15%. As a result, the revenue income of the government fell sharply and to compensate this loss, Modi government resorted to looting the common people.

As you know, the LPG price also went high upto ₹1,100. Worse , the subsidy was withdrawn without intimaion.

4. Women empowerment and safety.

Rape and murder of even, minor girls, particulary belonging to dalits have become rampant in many states and the victims and the witnesses are allowed to be attacked and killed. The Manipur riots purposely perpetuated by the vested interests is continuing unabated since May, 2023. Several women are paraded naked, raped and murdered.

5 " MY GOVERNMENT WILL BE CORRUPTION FREE."

With the Supreme Court, cancelling the Electoral Bonds declaring it anti - constitutional, and the resultant revelation of SBI, the real face of Modi and BJP is exposed. The electoral bonds and the PM Cares Fund are the biggest scams through which BJP got thousands of crores, illegally.

Demonetisation, the Himalayan Blunder.

Currencies of ₹1000 and ₹500 were cancelled by Narendra Modi on 08-11-2016 claiming to contain counterfeit, black money and terrorist activities.

What were the consequences? People were put to distress and sufferings for an year. Thousands of small scale induustries were closed and lakhs of workers rendered jobless. The national economy put under doldrums.

Whether succeeded in achieving the aims?

No, a big zero.

According to RBI, 99% of the currencies were returned.

Attacks on PSUs.

According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PSUs are born to die. Almost all the PSUs, including profit making PSUs with Nava Retna status are being handed over to the corporates at throw away prices. In the name of National Monetisation Pipeline, national assets including those in the strategic sectors are also being given to the corporates.

BSNL not allowed to develop.

Despite declaration of repeated " revival packages", nothing happened other than retrenchment of 78,569 employees. BSNL is not allowed to launch its 4G services by procuring equipments from foreign companies while there is no such ban to the private telecom companies. So lakhs of customers are deserting BSNL posing serious threat to its very existence. The real intention of Modi government is to eliminate BSNL and hand over its assets worth rupees lakhs of crores to Ambani or Adani and allow them to loot the people with exorbitant rates for telecom services. For no fault of the BSNL employees, they are being denied the rightful wage revision due from 01-01-2017.

Inequality widened alarmingly.

After 10 years of Modi rule, no doubt, the number of billionaires in India has increased in a stunning pace, thanks to the pro corporate policies. At the same time inequality between the rich and poor has widened steeply. India ranked 111 out of 123 countries in the poverty index, while 1% of the super rich cornered 40% of the national assets.

Leave alone all these, the politics of hatred and humility being pursued by the ruling party is the real threat to our freedom, peace,democracy, secularism and our great constitution.

So let us think seriously and vote conciously in the forthcoming elections.

K G Jayaraj