Pensioners' Body Calls For Nationwide Protest on Aug 5, Demands ₹7,500 Minimum Monthly Pension

Pensioners' body EPS95 National Agitation Committee on Monday called for a nationwide protest on August 5, in support of their demand for a minimum monthly pension of ₹7,500 under the Employee Pension Scheme.

Presently, the minimum monthly pension under the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) is ₹1,000, which was enforced on September 1, 2014. The EPS is run by retirement body EPFO.

According to a press release issue by the committee, thousands of pensioners covered under EPS-95 are set to gather at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on August 5, as part of a nationwide protest demanding long-pending pension reforms.

The demonstration has been called by the EPS95 National Agitation Committee, which says years of representations, peaceful protests, and appeals to the government have failed to bring any meaningful policy decision, it stated.

The committee's key demands include raising the minimum monthly pension to ₹7,500, providing Dearness Allowance (DA), extending free medical facilities to pensioners and their spouses, and ensuring that eligible retirees receive benefits of higher pension in accordance with Supreme Court judgments.

National president of the committee Commander Ashok Raut said nearly 81 lakh EPS-95 pensioners have been pursuing these demands for over a decade.

Despite repeated assurances from the government, no concrete action has been taken, he said.

Highlighting the financial hardships faced by retirees, Raut said a large number of EPS95 beneficiaries receive an average monthly pension of about ₹1,171, an amount the committee believes is grossly inadequate in today's economic conditions.

According to the committee, workers who devoted decades of service to the country's industrial and economic growth deserve a retirement income that ensures financial security and a dignified life.

It maintained that the demand for a ₹7,500 minimum pension is not for special treatment but for a basic standard of social security.

The committee stated that if the government continues to ignore their demands, self-immolation would be their "last resort".