MOS Dr Jitendra Singh Must Ensure Pensioners’ ToR in 8th CPC and Restore OPS

OPINION PIECE BY C. SRIKUMAR

The concerns of more than 69 lakh Central Government pensioners — from retired IAS/IPS officers to former Group D staff and defence personnel — have reached a critical point. With the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) already constituted, the government has so far excluded pension revision from its Terms of Reference (ToR). This omission has triggered widespread anxiety among those who served the nation for decades.

Thousands of representations have already been submitted by the Staff Side of the National Council (JCM), AIDEF, various pensioners’ associations, and individuals. Their demand is simple and justified: the government cannot overlook pensioners, especially at a time when joint family structures are weakening and pension is the only dependable lifeline for senior citizens.

A Reassurance — But Not Enough

Reports in online media quote Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, as saying that “every pensioner and family pensioner will be protected under the 8th CPC” and that inclusion is “automatic, irrespective of the ToR.”

Such statements may offer temporary comfort, but they do not substitute formal inclusion in the ToR. The apprehension is not unfounded — especially after the government retrospectively amended CCS Pension Rules through the Finance Act, giving itself full authority to decide pension revision modalities, implementation dates, and even the categorisation of pensioners.

This background makes the ToR silence even more unsettling.

AIDEF’s Stand: “Why Keep Senior Citizens in Anxiety?”

C Srikumar, General Secretary of AIDEF and Member of the Standing Committee of National Council (JCM), minced no words.

If the government is genuinely committed to pensioners’ welfare, he argues, it should have clearly included pension revision and family pension issues in the 8th CPC’s ToR from the start.

Srikumar rightly points out that the government’s decision to explicitly exclude 69 lakh pensioners while adding new phrases like “Unfunded Cost of Non-Contributory Pension Schemes” — something absent in earlier Pay Commissions — raises more questions than answers.

Employees Reject UPS; NPS Still Unpopular

Another strong point raised by Srikumar is the overwhelming rejection — 99% non-participation — of the new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) among NPS-covered employees. This reflects the larger sentiment: employees do not want contributory schemes. The NPS was forced upon recruits after 2004, and the promised pay scales of the 5th CPC were effectively reduced by 10% because of mandatory employee contribution.

What Pensioners Need Is Not Ambiguity but Assurance

The issues before pensioners and employees go far beyond revision:

• Restoration of commuted pension after 11 years

• 5% pension increase every five years, as recommended by a Parliamentary Standing Committee

• CGHS reforms and healthcare access

• Restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)

• Representation rights before the 8th CPC

• Without explicit ToR inclusion, pensioners have no forum to present these demands.

Time for MOS to Walk the Talk

If Dr Jitendra Singh’s assurance is sincere, then as the Minister of State for Personnel as well as PMO, he must take the next crucial step:

✔️ Convince the Prime Minister and Finance Minister to include pension revision in the 8th CPC ToR

✔️ Ensure OPS restoration is also examined by the Commission

✔️ Provide clarity, not ambiguity, to millions who depend on their pension for survival and dignity

Conclusion

At this stage, pensioners do not need verbal comfort — they need policy certainty. By officially incorporating pensioners’ issues into the 8th CPC ToR, the government can restore confidence among senior citizens who have loyally served India.

Anything short of this will only deepen the anxiety, distrust, and feeling of being sidelined among the country’s retired workforce..

Views expressed here are those of C. Srikumar, veteran Trade Union Leader and also, the General Secretary of AIDEF