LS backs monthly pension for unorganised sector
9 Aug 2014 6:26 AM IST
The National Minimum Pension (Guarantee) Bill, 2014, introduced by BJP member Nishikant Dubey last month, also envisages setting up of a National Pension Board. Jagdambika Pal (BJP) said the bill, if enacted, would provide social security and protection to unorganised sector workers.
Saying that Rs 5,000 monthly pension is reasonable amount as of now, Pal said in future the pension amount should be linked to inflation. ‘It is our duty to provide post-retirement benefit to these people who have contributed to the development of society,’ he said. Among others, the bill seeks to set up a National Pension Fund with a corpus of Rs 50,000 crore.
The National Pension Board would have the responsibility of maintaining record of persons who have retired from employment in unorganised sector as well as of those who are 60 years old and not getting the minimum pension.
Meanwhile, government will soon issue a notification to implement the Budget proposal of increasing the minimum monthly pension under the EPS-95 scheme to Rs 1,000, Labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said.
‘My ministry has cleared the proposal and a notification will be issued soon,’ he said, responding to issues raised during a debate on private member bill on minimum pension for unorganised sector.
On concerns voiced during the discussion on National Minimum Pension (Guarantee) Bill, 2014, moved by Nishikant Dubey, the minister said government will take steps to identify unorganised workers and prepare schemes to improve their condition.
To suggestion of minimum Rs 5,000 monthly pension for unorganised workers above 60 years, Tomar said when it took 68 years for the government to raise minimum monthly pension for organised worker to Rs 1,000, the members could imagine how much time it would take to raise it to Rs 5,000 for all workers.
The Budget proposal to raise minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 under EPS-95 scheme run by retirement fund body EPFO would benefit 28 lakh pensioners who get less than this amount at present. Tomar said government has been implementing various social sector schemes to provide pension and also other benefits to weaker sections of the society.
As regards the unorganised sector, he said that once the Government is able to identify them and collect the relevant data, it would become possible to frame schemes for their welfare.
Members cutting across party lines supported the Bill on minimum pension, but it was withdrawn following an assurance by the minister that the NDA government is committed to address the problems of unorganised sector workers.
Among those who participated in the discussion were BJP members Anurag Thakur, Jagdambika Pal, Virender Kashyap, P P Chaudhary , Mahendra Nath Pandey and Rama Devi, Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD) and Sankar Prasad Datta (CPI-M).
Saying that Rs 5,000 monthly pension is reasonable amount as of now, Pal said in future the pension amount should be linked to inflation. ‘It is our duty to provide post-retirement benefit to these people who have contributed to the development of society,’ he said. Among others, the bill seeks to set up a National Pension Fund with a corpus of Rs 50,000 crore.
The National Pension Board would have the responsibility of maintaining record of persons who have retired from employment in unorganised sector as well as of those who are 60 years old and not getting the minimum pension.
Meanwhile, government will soon issue a notification to implement the Budget proposal of increasing the minimum monthly pension under the EPS-95 scheme to Rs 1,000, Labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said.
‘My ministry has cleared the proposal and a notification will be issued soon,’ he said, responding to issues raised during a debate on private member bill on minimum pension for unorganised sector.
On concerns voiced during the discussion on National Minimum Pension (Guarantee) Bill, 2014, moved by Nishikant Dubey, the minister said government will take steps to identify unorganised workers and prepare schemes to improve their condition.
To suggestion of minimum Rs 5,000 monthly pension for unorganised workers above 60 years, Tomar said when it took 68 years for the government to raise minimum monthly pension for organised worker to Rs 1,000, the members could imagine how much time it would take to raise it to Rs 5,000 for all workers.
The Budget proposal to raise minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 under EPS-95 scheme run by retirement fund body EPFO would benefit 28 lakh pensioners who get less than this amount at present. Tomar said government has been implementing various social sector schemes to provide pension and also other benefits to weaker sections of the society.
As regards the unorganised sector, he said that once the Government is able to identify them and collect the relevant data, it would become possible to frame schemes for their welfare.
Members cutting across party lines supported the Bill on minimum pension, but it was withdrawn following an assurance by the minister that the NDA government is committed to address the problems of unorganised sector workers.
Among those who participated in the discussion were BJP members Anurag Thakur, Jagdambika Pal, Virender Kashyap, P P Chaudhary , Mahendra Nath Pandey and Rama Devi, Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD) and Sankar Prasad Datta (CPI-M).
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