Times Of India — denial of pension to regional rural bank staff

Denial of pension to regional rural bank employees

Dear sir,
Regional rural banks (Rrb) were established by government of india in 1975 as the commercial banks fail to reach the rural poor. Now, there are 56 rrbs spread over 1107 districts with 31017 branches and 86555 working staff in 28 states.
Rrbs are jointly owned by government of india, sponsored bank and the state governments in the ration of 50:35:15 and focus on rural development and participate in all welfare programmes sponsored by state and central governments. The main business of rrbs is finance to agriculture and self help group besides other commercial activities which are more or less of commercial bank activities.
National industrial tribunal constituted by supreme court had recommended for extending the pay, allowance and other benefits at par with the respective commercial banks and the same is accepted by govt of india in 1987. Since then, rrbians are receiving “equal pay for equal work and some of benefits of their respective sponsor bank except the pension at par.
Rrbians, on retirement drawing paltry amount of pension ranging from
Rs 750/ to rs 2500/ per month after putting more than 30 years of service as per the epf pension scheme, 1995.
Deliberately “pension at par” with nationalized commercial banks is denied to rrbians on retirement throwing 30, 000 retirees, out of which 3000 already left for heaven, to pathetic condition with meager pension which is hardly adequate to support their advanced age.
On denial of pension at par to retirees of rrbs, division benches of karnataka and rajasthan high courts in 2011 and 2012 respectively directed government of india to implement and extend the pension to rrb retirees at par with commercial banks. Instead of implementing high court order, goi had moved to supreme court and filed special leave petition in 2012 stating that all rrbs do not have paying capacity and placed certain conditions for implementation of pension at par in rrbs which are not acceptable to the retirees as they are in discriminatory in nature and deny most of retirees of rrbs from pension at par.
In this connection, i would like to quote what supreme court has said on earlier occasions that “pension is a human right and be treated as deferred wages and the capacity to pay should not be an impediment to pay pension”. Therefore the argument of goi to deny pension at par to retirees of rrbs on selective basis is untenable and unacceptable. The special leave petition is being dragged for years together since 2012 by goi to defer and deny pension at par to retirees knowing the fact that goi has no ground to stand in this case and bound to lose if it comes for judgment thereby aggravating the miserable’s life who are not able to meet the both ends of life with meager pension.
Either supreme court of india expediting the hearing of case and giving final judgment or goi withdrawing the special leave petition only save the lives of 27000 retirees of rrbians and also bring cheers to other staff members in service.

Ramesh. Y
Retired chief manager
Andhra pradesh grameena vikas bank,
Warangal