Mangalore, March 7: It is the corporate tycoons who run the government and decide the strategies and allocation of funds in the budget in India, said Deepankar Mukharjee, All India Secretary of CITU and Member of Central Board of Trustees (CBT).
He was speaking at District Convention of Karnataka State Provident Fund Pensioners Association (PFPA) on Monday at Town Hall here.
The Union government has allotted a meager amount of Rs 1600 crores in the recently announced budget for the social security fund for the labourers, while Rs 5 crores tax exemption has been made for the corporate tycoons or industrialists, he said, adding that a total of Rs 11,000 crores of direct tax has been exempted for these tycoons.
The pension is supposed to be social security scheme in this civilized world. However, it is disheartening that the government allots a pittance amount to the pensioners neglecting the interest of 46 crores labourers out of 120 crores population. The government is contributing only 1.16 paisa to the fund of pensioners, he said.
“Government should contribute at least 6.42 paisa for every 100 rupees for the fund of pensioners,” he added.
In his presidential address B Madhava, President of All India Beedi Workers Federation demanded the Union government to amend Provident Fund Act, 1952, based on which pension scheme 1995 (EPS-1995) has been formulated. There are more than 28 lakh EPF pensioners under this scheme, some of whom receive pensions of Rs 7 to 10 per month.
He said that the EPS-1995 pension scheme has proved to be a curse for the more than 28 lakh labourers covered under the scheme. There has been no revision in their pension for the last decade and returns of capital and commutation benefits too have been withdrawn in 2008.
S Prasanna Kumar, General Secretary, CITU State Committee, K Pavithran, President, Kerala State PFPA and other leaders of various labourers' organization were present.
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