THE KARNATAKA CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS’ ASSOCIATION (REGD.) An affiliate of Bharat Pensioners Samaj(BPS) writes to Finance Minister GOI

SS Ramanatha Rao

Prdt Karnataka CGPA, &

Tel: 080-26619394; 0-9980204456

E-mail ID: hngrssrrao@gmail.com                                         Bangalore; November 23, 2014.

Respected Hon’ble Minister,

I have just seen a news item in today’s Dailies (Nov 23) that the Union Finance Minister has given indication to give relief to the salaried class. This would obviously include pensioners. The statement was made by the Minister in an Interaction with the PTI.

The Minister also spoke of the Govt going after the tax evaders. The salaried class people are more in number and what they together pay as tax, is just a miniscule, when compared to the rich class who have to pay higher tax amounts, but manage to evade.  The Income Tax department spends more of its time, operations and man-hours on this small tax-paying salaried class.  It has got to direct its greater attention to the rich/richer class. Yes, this has been the impression of the common man (‘aam admi’) for years long. What the Minister has expressed is therefore a very good attitude on the part of the Govt. We await to see the results in the next six months.

I take this opportunity to write to the Hon’ble Minister for one help/favour that is required both to the salaried class and the pensioners class. This relates to the Grant of Interim Relief vis a vis the 7^th Pay Commission.     The Commission has maintained that the Govt has to make a ‘specific reference’ to it in this behalf.  The Terms of Reference to the Commission indeed makes a reference to ‘interim report’ that may be given by the Commission. The earlier Pay Commissions have come out with this grant of interim relief. The State Governments have not refused to oblige their staff. I do not understand the difference between ‘interim report’ and ‘interim relief’.  I met the CPC Team at Bangalore on August 24, 2014; and the Chairman wanted a ‘specific reference’ on this. He said that he had written to the Govt, but had not received any reply. Subsequently, I have written to the Hon’ble Prime Minister to make a ’specific reference’ to the Commission to consider this interim payment. This has twin advantages. One, the staff and pensioners get some money now. This compensates the price rise. This helps those aged members, who may not be alive by 2016, when the Commission report comes into effect. Two, the heavy payment to be made by the Government post-2016 would be less, avoiding a situation that arose in 2008 after the 6^th Pay Commission report.

Kindly consider this Appeal favourably, and approve/grant Interim Relief to the  staff/pensioners – either directly by a Govt Notification or through the Pay Commission -- with effect from January 2014, to be paid with pay/pension for January 2015 as ‘New Year Gift’. A common amount of Rs 5000 per month to all may be reasonable enough.

With Great Regards,

                                                                             Yours sincerely,

                                                                                     (Sd)  

                                                                        SS Ramanatha Rao

The Hon’ble Minister for Finance,

Govt of India, North Block,

New Delhi 110 011.