Pension tension / Dec 20, 2005 / The Statesman

From Indiapensions

Pension tension

KOLKATA- There was a look of concern on the weather-beaten faces as they took their seats in a room in the National Sample Survey Organisation's office to commemorate Pensioner's Day. "I worked for 28 years in ISI and NSSO and have been retired for as many years now," said Mr Prabir Das, president of NSSO Pensioner's Association. The pensioners were worried about the recent developments that point towards pension being stopped after 15 to 20 years from the date of retirement of pensioners. "The Geetakrishnan Committee had recommended that the pension might be stopped after 15 years from the date of retirement. Another committee had recommended that the scheme be done away with. Recently, the Union finance minister said that it would be good to start thinking of stopping pensions," Mr Das said.

Meanwhile, a stand-off between the CPI-M and the party-controlled Coordination Committee of State Government Employees' is likely to be triggered as the latter refused to accept the party's watered down opposition to the Centre's Pension bill.