New Delhi: The RSS affiliate trade union Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh on Thursday staged protests at more than 100 locations across the country demanding a hike in minimum pension. BMS has been demanding to raise the amount from ₹ 1000 to ₹ 5000. The members from regional units of Mazdoor Sangh gathered outside more than 100 EPFO offices in different states to register their protest. Memorandums to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav were also submitted through EPFO officers.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Binoy Kumar Sinha, general secretary of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, said that there was a huge turnout for protest in states like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. "We have registered our protest following the Covid norms. This has been a long-pending demand which we raised during the pre-budget consultation meeting with the Union Finance Minister last month. How can old-age people getting just 1000 rupees a month survive in these tough times? If the government agrees to our demand, around 64 lakh old-age pensioners will be benefited from this," said Binoy Sinha.
BMS is also demanding that Government should link EPF pension with the consumer price index due to inflation and also extend Ayushman Bharat medical scheme to all pensioners.
On extending Ayushman Bharat medical scheme to all EPS 95 pensioners, BMS General Secretary said that the Union Labour Ministry has already given in-principle agreement to this but any formal implementation to this is still awaited.
According to the BMS leader, during the pre-budget consultation held in December 2021, the union finance minister did acknowledge their demands regarding the EPS 95 pensioners but now they want development on the issue and not just assurances from the government.
As the budget session of parliament begins next month, sources inform that government might consider a hike in pension and some announcement be made by the Finance minister when she presents the budget in parliament.
BMS has hinted at alleviating their movement and plan for larger protests if the government ignores their demands this budget session.
