EPFO officials meet EPS-95 NAC members to discuss higher pension, other demands

A delegation of pensioners' body EPS-95 National Agitation Committee on Tuesday met with senior officials of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation to press for their long-standing demand for a minimum monthly pension of Rs 7,500.

The members also demanded full medical coverage for EPS members and their spouses, EPS-95 National Agitation Committee (NAC) said in a statement.

"An invitation came to us from Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for a meeting. The objective of the meeting was to resolve the pending demands of the pensioners," EPS-95 NAC President Ashok Raut said.

The EPS-95 NAC members have been protesting to press for their demand of Rs 7,500 as monthly pension instead of an average monthly pension of only Rs 1,450 at present, he said.

Raut said the pensioners have been demanding an increase in the minimum pension for the past eight years, but the government has not addressed their demands.

Earlier this month, Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya had met with EPS-95 NAC representatives and assured them that the government would take necessary steps to address their demand.

The EPS-95 NAC, which includes around 78 lakh retired pensioners and 7.5 crore working employees of industrial sectors, is headquartered in Maharashtra.