RSP member seeks hike in minimum pension to Rs 3,000 a month

An RSP member in Lok Sabha today moved a private resolution seeking increasing the minimum pension to Rs 3,000 per month and other steps to ensure welfare of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) pensioners.
Moving the resolution during private members' business, NK Premachandran urged the government to take immediate steps to restore the benefits of commutation and return of capital to the EPF pensioners.
Maintaining that the pension amount given to the pensioners now was meagre and fixed 20 years ago, he sought that the minimum pension be raised to Rs 3,000 per month under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995.
He also suggested that the EPF beneficiaries should be provided pension on the basis of average salary of 12 months immediately preceding retirement and ensuring payment of full pension to pensioners as per the 1995 scheme after realisation of the full amount of commuted pension from pensioners.

Premachandran also asked the government to implement welfare schemes for pensioners, including housing scheme, by utilising the unclaimed provident fund, which he said, amounted to about Rs 27,000 crore.
He also sought revision of the entire Employees Pension Scheme, 1995 on the basis of past experience and its benefits to various other sectors.
The RSP member urged the House to adopt the resolution unanimously. A debate on the matter remained inconclusive as the House was adjourned for the day.