DEMAND FOR UNIVERSAL OLD-AGE PENSION
The Pension
Parishad has decided to intensify political mobilisation for pressing its
demand for universal old age pension.Several political leaders addressed the
demonstrators during the dharna and the Parishad leaders called on President
Pratibha Patil to elicit her support. On Saturday 12th May,2012, a
delegation will call on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who is also the
chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC).Leaders from political
parties including the Congress, the BJP, the Communist Party of India
(Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool
Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Biju Janata Dal, the Janata Dal
(United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party have supported
their demand for universal pension as a matter of entitlement and an honourable
monthly payment.
Rural
Development Minister Jairam Ramesh intends to propose a raise in the old age
pension from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 per month and remove the distinction between
Below Poverty Line and the Above Party Line and extend the scope of the pension
network.Parishad convenors Baba Adhav and Aruna Roy along with economists
Prabhat Patnaik and Ravi Srivastava and social activist Vimla said they would
wait for the government's response till August 15 before deciding on their next
course of action. Till then they will visit States and districts to mobilise
political support for a social security network for about 10 crore people who
have nothing to fall back on once they stop working.
The most
critical thrust of their campaign is to urge the gram panchayats to adopt
resolutions at their gram sabhas supporting the demands for a pension of Rs.
2,000 per individual. The block samitis and the urban bodies too will be urged
to adopt similar resolutions.The parishad will also approach the State
governments to adopt resolutions to ensure a universal pension to the elderly
as a matter of right and dignity.Its leaders pointed out that those above the
age of 60 constituted 10 percent of the population and 14 percent of the
electoral rolls, which political parties could ill afford to ignore.Mr. Adhav
said a parishad team intended to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking
immediate steps to address this problem and render social justice.
Prof. John
Kurakar
No comments:
Post a Comment