LIC Pensioners Issues – Stoppage of recovery of GIS premium for VRS pensioners – Non-credit of pension on 1st of the Month

LIC Pensioners Issues – Stoppage of recovery of GIS premium for VRS pensioners – Non-credit of pension on 1st of the Month

NATIONAL ORGANISATION OF INSURANCE PENSIONERS
Regn No.PN 4769 (Regd under Indian T U Act, 1926)
(Affiliated to Bharateeya Mazdoor Sangh)
BMS Office, Vishwakarma Bhavan. 185, Shaniwar Peth, Pune 411030. Tel.: 020-24454040

President: Dr.S.B.Sharan

Working President: S.G.Elangadi

General Secretary: Vilas V.Purkar

FOR THE PERSONAL ATTENTION OF SHRI. M.R.KUMAR SIR

1. Stoppage of recovery of GIS Premium for VRS Pensioners.
2. Non-credit of pension on 1st of the month

Date: 04-03-2020

To,
The Chairman,
LIC of India, Central Office,
Yogakshema, MUMBAI

Dear Sir,

Re: 1) Stoppage of recovery of GIS premium for VRS pensioners 2) Non-credit of pension on 1st of the Month

Also Read: LIC Employees-Wage Revision and Improvements in Pension Scheme
1) Please find herewith attached the letter dtd. 16-01-2020 addressed to the Director (Personnel) which is self explanatory. That time, only Howrah Division had stopped recovery of premium of Group Insurance Scheme from the pension for the month of December 2019. We are aghast to learn that in the entire country in all Divisions the recovery of premium under GIS has been stopped from the pension of all VRS pensioners thereafter. We condemn this action of the management. The following facts are worth consideration-

a) The VRS optees while in service were the members of Group Insurance Scheme (GIS) and every month premium was being recovered from their salary

Also Read: Pension Scheme 1995 for LIC Part-time Employees
b) As per CO Circular No. CO/PER/ER/197/2019 dtd 02-01-2019, they opted for GIS after voluntary retirement and recovery of premium was started from their pension which continued up to the pension for November 2019. Then from the pension for December 2019 to February 2020 all the Divisions in the country stopped recovery and discontinued the cover under GIS without any intimation to the concerned VRS pensioners.
c) It is crystal clear from the above quoted circular that VRS pensioners were not barred from the cover under GIS.
d) Covering VRS pensioners under the GIS is most advantageous to the insurer since they being less than 60 years old, pay higher premium chargeable for pensioners with age group 61-65.
e) For all practical purposes VRS pensioners are treated at par with superannuated pensioners. They continue to enjoy cover under Group Mediclaim Scheme too.

As such playing with the sentiments of gullible, hapless VRS pensioners is atrocious, a dangerous game and hence unwarranted and uncalled for. We request with all the seriousness that the issue requires restoration of the GIS cover to VRS pensioners with immediate effect and earnestly request you to advise all the ZOs/DOs to restart recovery of premium from the pension with arrears, if any.

Also Read: LIC Delay in Wage Negotiations

2) Second vexed problem is the non-credit of pension on the first of the next month irrespective of it being a Sunday or a holiday. NOIP’s delegation had a detailed discussion on this issue with Director (Personnel) on 25-11-2019. She assured that since the RBI has rolled out NEFT arrangement round the clock, she hopes this delay would be obviated and that pension would be credited on the first of the month irrespective it being a Sunday/holiday. But alas! For February pension in some Divisions pensioners got credit on 1st March, most on 2nd March and the remaining on 3rd March. We cannot understand the logic behind this wide variation from Division to Division and Zone to Zone and Division to Division in the same Zone also. Though the pension rules are the same for LIC pensioners and Bank pensioners. Bank pensioners get the pension credit latest by the last day of the same month, ie pension for the month of February would be credited to the Bank accounts of pensioners latest by 29-02-2020.

Our plea is that credit of pension be done on the very day salary is credited to in-service employees or on the last day of the month or at least on the first of next month. We implore upon your personal intervention in this regard to set right technical glitches if any, and ensure that in all the Divisions of the country, pension is credited to the Bank accounts of pensioners on the 1“ of next month irrespective of it being Sunday/holiday.

We sincerely hope that both the above issues are decided favourably with your personal intervention.
With kind regards.

Yours Sincerely,

(General Secretary)