Report by Shri Alavandar Venu Madhav, Vice President, Singareni Retired Employees Welfare Association
All India Coal Pensioners Association convener Shri PK Singh Rathore invited retired coal workers and officials from different states of the country. Many speakers at the dharna said that the Coal Pension Scheme, which has been in operation since 1998, should be amended to pay a minimum pension of Rs 15,000 rupees, but it is sad that no efforts have been made to increase the pension despite submitting petitions to the Members of Parliament, Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers of coal producing states.
There are six lakh coal pensioners in the country. Their life is very miserable. In order to strengthen the dwindling pension fund, Coal India and Singareni Collieries should implement the proposal to contribute 20 rupees to the pension fund instead of 10 rupees on every tonne sold by Singareni Collieries and Coal India to pay pension with drought allowance, to pay widow pension without going around CMPF offices and without any effort through banks and other demands.
A petition has been submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve it. In this dharna Singareni Retired Employees Welfare Association President Dandamraj Ramchander Rao, Vice President Alavandar Venu Madhav participated along with R.C.V.Raju, Arjun, J. N. Murthy and others.
