EPF Pension: About 10 years ago, the government stopped the old age honor allowances of thousands of employees retired from public sector, HMT factory and BCW Surajpur cement factory and various corporations, boards etc.
State President of Shivalik Vikas Manch, who is fighting for the restoration of old age honor allowance, which was stopped by the government about 10 years ago, of thousands of employees retired from various corporations, corporations, boards etc. including public sector, HMT factory and BCW Surajpur cement factory. The struggle of former Chairman Haryana Government Advocate Vijay Bansal has now borne fruit. Haryana Government has decided to give old age pension to the above retired employees in the budget of the year 2024-2025.
Advocate Vijay Bansal told that about 10 years ago, the state government had stopped the old age pension given to thousands of employees of Shahid State, especially the retired employees of HMT factory of district Panchkula including Kalka assembly constituency, whereas the said employees were not given any kind of pension. Senior citizens who do not receive government or non-government pension and receive only nominal benefits from Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) were excluded from availing the benefit of Old Age Samman Allowance. Whereas the said employees get half of the EPF pension of Rs 3000 per month. Vijay Bansal told that now the government has proposed to amend the Old Age Samman Allowance Scheme to provide benefits to the said pensioners so that those elderly people can get its benefit to whom the total amount of allowance given by the government and EPF pension is more than Rs. 3000 per month or time. -A pension equal to the old age honor allowance, which is revised from time to time, is available. This amendment will benefit thousands of elderly people of the state. Now all the retired HMT employees of Kalka area, employees of BCW Surajpur Cement Factory, former employees of the Corporation and the Board will now be able to apply for old age pension.
Vijay Bansal told that HMT employees’ Employees’ Provident Fund funds were deducted and in exchange for the same, they used to get nominal interest ranging from Rs 1.5 to Rs 2000 as pension. Apart from this, there are many HMT employees who did not have any funds in the Provident Fund, they were neither able to get EPF interest nor government old age pension, they were going through great financial crisis. Many HMT employees have said goodbye to this world while waiting for pension. There is no means of employment available here even for the elderly and children.
Vijay Bansal said that he had given memorandums several times to the Chief Minister, Ministers and officials of the concerned department for restoration of pension of the said employees and had also filed a PIL in the court in the year 2022. But of late the elderly have finally got their rights.
