Activists slam government over pension budget cut

“Why is a government which went out of its way to give Rs 600 crores as loan to Adani trying to rob Below-Poverty-Line elderly from even the meagre Rs 200 they get as pension?” asked activist Aruna Roy of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan, tearing into the Modi government's alleged proposal to cut the pension budget by 30%.

“No country developed or developing has ever prospered by ignoring its poor. Particularly not when the poverty is so abject and involves such large numbers.” She was speaking to dna after a press conference called by the Pension Parishad at TISS where a study which reveals an abysmal 20% coverage under National Old Age Pension Scheme was revealed.

“I'm 68 and a senior citizen myself and I can see their concerns,” she said and added, “They are old, infirm and lived off daily wages from hard manual labour all their lives. How can they continue to do this when they are nearing 60? With nuclear families even in rural areas they often have to go without food.” She pointed out how the Pension Parishad was writing to PM Modi to help out poor elderly.

“We are writing to him to demand greater coverage and better implementation,” she said. “This government wants to shut out every one who does not toe its line. But we want to remind Modi that he is not only PM to his corproate-friendly party, the rich and the upper middle class but the enitre nation.”

The eight state-study on the status of implementation of National Social Assistance Programme, reveals how the scheme fell short of its mandate and required urgent restructuring by way of its expansion, increase in the amount of pension assistance and relaxing eligibility norms. Presenting the findings of the study TISS faculty Prof. Sohini Sengupta stated, “Performance of the states varied with barely 30 % of the BPL cardholders of Gujarat as against 50 % in Bengal receiving pension and with only Kerala and Rajasthan government succeeding in minimizing exclusion as they had moved to universalised system where BPL status is not required for eligibility.”

Pension Parishad best characterised as a ‘rainbow coalition’ as diverse constituencies from elderly, widowed, disabled and other disadvantaged such as landless labourers, rural poor, transgenders, sexworkers, MNREGA workers have displayed great grit and determination for the last three years assembling in Delhi at every Parliamentary session to raise their voice. “Any attempt by the present political leadership to short shrift or roll back the pledges they gave would only work to their disadvantage,” wanred activist Nikhil Dey, “We're determined to scale up and intensify our struggle for a just and universal pension scheme.” 

Conducted across eight states with 1400 respondents in 59 villages and 14 districts and was released jointly by TISS Director Prof. Parasuraman, Aruna Roy, Baba Adhav and representatives of 40 organisations from 15 states who all demanded that the pension be raised to Rs 2000 and its indexing with the inflation.

Speaking on behalf of Pension Parishad, activists Aruna Roy and Baba Adhav, National Conveners, Pension Parishad emphasized that the time had come for all activists, organizations, unions and associations representing workers and the poor to join ranks and launch a concerted struggle to wrest their right to pension and social security and live a life of dignity.

“Given the urgent need for universalization of social security schemes such as pension, the track record of the present government which took recourse to drastic budget cuts on all major social sector schemes including the meagre pension schemes for the elderly, widowed, disabled and other disadvantaged people is blatantly anti-poor,” lamented Adhav who reminded the BJP and NDA alliance legislators about the commitment they gave in writing and in their public address at the many dharnas and rallies held during every parliamentary session since 2012 to thousands of poor that had gathered under the Pension Parishad platform.

“Prakash Javadekar (BJP) and Anant Geethe (Shiv Sena) extended unconditional support to the demands of Pension Parishad several times, signed the declaration pledging not to rest till these demands were realized but are now talking an entirely different language.” he added.

Dr Ramkumar of the TISS Centre for Development Studies wondered why the Maharashtra government cribbed about lack of money to pay pensions. “Maharashtra has the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the country and it still earns lesser than states like Tamil nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana per capita in taxes from that alcohol. Why can't it increase excise to help fund pensions,” he said.