Under the banner of EPS-95 Rashtriya Sangharsha Samiti, a nationwide protest and demonstration was held on Friday at over 200 centers of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), including Jabalpur. Hundreds of pensioners and members from Municipal Corporations, private schools and various private companies participated in the protest, pressing for long-pending pension reforms.

 

A memorandum was also submitted to the EPFO Commissioner on the occasion. The protestors alleged that despite serving 35 to 40 years, pensioners are forced to survive on a meagre pension of only Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month, while former Legislators and MPs receive lifelong pensions of several lakhs per month even after just five years of service. Calling the situation unjust and highly imbalanced, they demanded immediate government action. Committee officials highlighted that for the past eight years, the EPS-95 Rashtriya Sangharsha Samiti has been persistently fighting for the rightful demands of nearly 8 crore EPFO members and 80 lakh pensioners.

 

They recalled that during a massive protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on August 4 and 5, 26 Members of Parliament had extended support by joining the stage and raising the issue at the gates of Lok Sabha. Despite this, the central government has yet to take any concrete step towards pension enhancement.

 

The pensioners issued a stern warning, declaring that if their demands are not addressed immediately, they will be compelled to launch a “Do or Die” movement. Their major demands include minimum monthly pension of Rs 7,500 along with dearness allowance. Free healthcare facilities for pensioners and their spouses. In Jabalpur, Central India Coordinator Balwant Singh Gurjar, State Vice President G P Awasthi, Divisional President Devnarayan Tiwari, Branch President Dhanraj Sonkar, along with Ishwar Das Sen, Ashok Pandey and several pensioners staged protest.