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Pensioners’ end protest as PAU accepts demands
PAU Pensioners protest ends as VC accepts demands for timely pension, gratuity, medical reimbursement, and implementation of Janjua judgement.
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Pensioners and Retirement Welfare Association has called off their month-long protest on Saturday as the PAU vice-chancellor accepted all of their demands.
The protest was called on April 26 to push for their demands, including provision of pension on 1st of every month; payment of balance gratuity to those retired between January 1, 2016 to July 1, 2021; timely disbursal of medical reimbursement, increasing the reimbursement amount, direct transfer of pension grant in PAU State Bank of India, and implementation of Janjua judgement.
The association head DP Maur, said, “V-C has assured that our demands will be accepted and implemented at the earliest.”
V-C Satbir Singh Gosal said, “We will fulfil the demands in our capacity, and try to push for the ones falling under the government act.”
“All other retired employees under Punjab government get their pension on 1st of every month but we have to wait till the 10th. Earlier the pension grant was credited to varsity’s State Bank of India branch but since last few years HDFC bank has been added into the channel, which delays the pension by a couple of days,” said Maur.
He added that, “The V-C has assured that they will try to get the private bank out of the channel.”
The issue of major concern was the delay in medical reimbursements. All pensioners are entitled to medical reimbursement after submitting the bills. Maur claimed that the pensioners had to visit a lot to the varsity, even to get a single bill cleared. Sometimes it used to take more than six months. “This is not possible for a lot of pensioners who don’t keep well,” Maur added.
“We have been assured that the process will now not take more than a month and the limit of reimbursement which can be cleared by the dean has been increased from ₹50,000 to 1,00,00.” Expenses above that have to go through the comptroller, Maur added.
Earlier, the limit of gratuity to be paid to the retirees was ₹10 lakh. In 2016, the scale was revised and the pay commission increased the limit to ₹20 lakh. It was only implemented in July 2021 by the government and they paid the balance to pensioners who had retired between January 1, 2016 to July 1, 2021. However, the varsity was not paying the balance, claimed Maur.
“Another issue was of Janjua judgement. Supreme Court had ruled that the reserve category employees even when promoted above their seniors, will not get the pay scale above their seniors at the time of their joining. Soon, this will also be implemented,” Maur added.
