• NO FESTIVAL SEASON FOR us; The PSB Pensioners.
• 2/3 - MONTHS PENSION = MEDICAL INSURANCE PREMIUM
• Why did I start this Petition?
  

  I started this petition out of a simmering feeling of sheer disgust and shame! I was on a visit to my daughter's home in UK. She is a working women. We, I and my wife, used to escort our grandson to and from his school. One day while escorting him back home from the school an ice-cream vending truck was about to pass us by. My grandson signalled it to stop; he wanted an Ice-Cream. There is no way I could refuse a 5-year-old his fantasy. 

  It cost 5 Pounds! Rs 450! His face was resplendent with the pleasure only a five years old can enjoy. It reflected on me. I felt his delight!  But this is the sad part! I also felt a pinch; a pinch on my pocket! I was at the same time happy and vexed. That moment is etched in my memory and conscience!

  I am 70 years old. A senior citizen. After serving a public sector bank (PSB) all myself, here I am feeling humiliated at feeling impoverished after meeting a genuine request of a child. Would I have felt that anomaly if I had received Revision in the Amount of Pension over the last 20 years and could afford to meet the demand of an innocent child without guilt of splurging money?

  Friends, this is the everyday reality of lakhs of pensioners. All of us must be feeling the same bitterness in our day to day life. That is the reason I had to do something about it! Sign my petition asking the government to revise our pension. If the pension of employees of central, state governments, RBI and NABARD can be updated regularly why not us. Why are we being meted out such unfair treatment?  This is against the Right to Equality enshrined in our Indian Constitution.

  The ageing pensioners of PSBs do not enjoy any Health Security also; available as CGHS to Govt. Pensioners and have to depend upon Insurance Company for Health Care at exorbitant Premiums, which is TWO  to THREE times the monthly Pension in A MAJORITY of cases. 

As per the Bank (Employees') Pension Regulations,1995; effective 1st November, 1993, enacted after receiving prior approval of Reserve Bank of India and the Central Government provided that basic pension fixed for the employees who retired during the period 1.1.86 to 31.10.87 was to be updated as per Regulation 35(1). Accordingly, their pension was revised but for the employees who retired after 31.10.1993 like me, pension was never updated.
Regulation 35(1) was amended and published under part III, Section 4 of the Gazette of India in weekly Gazette No. 11 dated Saturday, March15, 2003 as quoted "in Regulation 35, for sub-regulation (1), the following sub-regulation shall be substituted, namely;“Basic Pension and additional pension, wherever applicable SHALL BE UPDATED as per formulae given in Appendix-I"The exclusion of words: "In respect of employees who retired between 1st day of January, 1986 but before 31st October, 1987 unambiguously makes it mandatory for PSBs to Update the Pension of all employees irrespective of the date of retirement simultaneously with each Revision of wages as per Bipartite Settlements entered into by IBA & employees’ Unions/officers’ Associations.

The Pensions of Central Government and State Government Employees are revised regularly. The Pension of RBI & NABARD employees have been recently Revised. It is beyond comprehension why the PSB retirees are being meted out step-motherly treatment by denying their legitimate Demand. This is against the Right to Equality enshrined in the Constitution.

In a nutshell and in simpler language: Despite crystal-clear Regulations and various Supreme Court Judgements and directions to the Governments & Employers, the PSB managements' are depriving lacs of hapless PSB retirees their legally deserved dues and forcing them to live in misery and penury. Sign our petition because you believe in justice, fairness and equality. We need lakhs of people to stand up with us, for us.