Employees Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS 95) - A Humble Representation Regarding a Section of Helpless Senior Citizens

 

Representation in the matter of EPS pension. It is meant not as a representation from an individual but from a section of people.
To
Sri.Santosh Kumar Gangwar
Hon'ble Minister of State for Labour & Employment (I/C)
Government of India
New Delhi.
Vopy to:-
(1) Hon'ble Prime Minister of India
(2) Hon'ble Union Finance Minister, Government of India.
(3) The Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organisation, New Delhi.
Respected Sir,
Sub:-Employees Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS 95) - A Humble Representation Regarding a Section of Hapless Senior Citizens, Which Requires Kind Consideration
I am a pensioner under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995, which is a supposedly social security scheme provided by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). I had earlier on two occasions (vide letters dated 28-3-2020 and 11-10-2019) brought to your kind notice the case of denial of social justice to the pensioners under the above scheme.

There are about 65 lakh pensioners under the above mentioned EPS 95 scheme. Due to the peculiar features of the scheme, the pensioners are all getting only a very paltry monthly pension of around Rs.1000/- or even much less. This is in spite of many of them having toiled for decades in service and despite their having handled several key responsibilities like those pensioners under central or state government service, defence service, administrative services, judicial services, banking services etc. And strangely, the pension remains without any revision throughout the life of these hapless pensioners, whereas the cost of living has been steadily on the increase and money value has been eroding in an alarming manner.
The meager pension being paid under EPS 95 scheme is on account of several inherent drawbacks in the scheme, and the Hon’ble Supreme Court had passed a judgement in October 2016 ordering payment of higher pension on actual salaries without any upper limit, plugging the deficiencies in the EPS 95 scheme. However, in spite of the elapse of almost 4 years, the Supreme Court judgement of October 2016 has not been complied with by EPFO and resultantly EPS 95 pensioners are continuing to get the same old trivial monthly pension as mentioned above. There have been continuous attempts on the part of EPFO to prolong the matter through the legal course. Though Hon’ble Kerala High Court of Kerala had also passed a verdict in favour of the pensioners, EPFO preferred to file a writ petition before the Hon’ble Supreme Court with the intention to cause confusion and a stalemate in the matter. The EPFO move is against the interests of the pensioners and contributors under the scheme. Right from the beginning, EPFO has been adopting an approach hostile to the pensioners/workers in the matter of higher pension, which do not require any elaboration as the various moves by EPFO bear testimony to this.
The monthly pension being disbursed under EPS 95 scheme is no match, by any figment of imagination, to the needs of the pensioners. In a majority of the cases, the pension would not be sufficient even for buying medicines. A majority of the pensioners do not have any worthwhile regular income while a few of them manage to find some odd jobs fetching a very small relief and try to toil in their old age and till their end. The superannuation benefits received by the pensioners in most of the cases would have been spent off for meeting educational / marriage / medical expenses and even in cases where a little balance portion is left, the interest income earned thereon would not mean anything in their life. Actually, the pension received under EPS 95 scheme is not giving any relief to the pensioners. I personally know the plight of several EPS95 pensioners, who are in a financial crisis, while their counterparts who had retired from other services are getting a decent sum as monthly pension. There are also thousands of cases where the monthly pension earned by the spouses in a family runs into lakhs, while EPS pensioners who have toiled for years and years (many of whom in high positions) get only a nominal amount as pension. Pension is meant to serve as a social security scheme. In the case of those who have put in years and years of service, a trivial pension of around Rs.1000/- would not provide any social security.
As your kindself is aware, EPFO’s primary role is to provide adequate social security to pensioners and workers, whereas their actions only add to the insecurity of the pensioners and workers. As known to your kind self, the lofty objective behind the constitution of EPFO as per the relevant provisions of the Employees' Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 is to serve as an organisation which provides social security to workers and pensioners. The Vision statement of EPFO published on their website states that it is ‘a world class Social Security Organisation providing futuristic services meeting the growing requirements of all categories of its stakeholders.’ EPFO’s Vision 2030 envisages ‘ Universal Social Security Coverage on mandatory basis by way of Provident Fund, Pension and Life Insurance for all workers of the country’ and ‘Implementation of policies for a benefit structure with adequate support level of social security’. EPFO’s mission statement states that its mission is to ‘extend the reach and quality of publicly managed old age income security programs through consistent and ever-improving standards of compliance and benefit delivery in a manner that wins the approval and confidence of members in our methods, fairness, honesty and integrity, thereby contributing to the economic and social well-being of the nation.’ About the ‘social security’ provided by the existing pension scheme which is throwing only pittance to the pensioners, the less said, the better.
The stance adopted by EPFO from the very beginning in the matter of not allowing higher pension to eligible members/pensioners through creating obstacles is totally contradictory to the basis of its genesis and its proclaimed vision and statements, outlined above. It can be seen that there is a grave mismatch between what is expected from EPFO and the reality.

In the light of the foregoing, your kind intervention is sought for the implementation of the October 2016 verdict of the Supreme Court removing the bottlenecks created by some quarters so that the hapless EPS 95 pensioners and their families would not have to struggle like this and die out of penury. Further, it would be a highly noble step on the part of the government if the EPS 95 scheme could be rationalised taking into due consideration the financial crisis situation experienced by the EPS pensioners, such that a pensioner gets at least Rs.10,000/- plus dearness allowance as monthly pension with a provision to revise it periodically.
I once again appeal that a sympathetic approach may kindly be adopted with regard to the financial crisis situation of the hapless pensioners under the Employees Provident Fund Pension Scheme, 1995 taking into account the reality that they have toiled for years in service, but are forced to live in penury in the last stage of their life due to the lack of a social security scheme.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully

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