To the three crucial events in the life of every human being ` birth, marriage and death ` can be added a fourth, retirement. It is a significant event of not only salaried people in public and private sectors but of self-employed persons too. When a rickshaw-puller ceases to ply his contraption, being aged or ailing, he is said to have retired too. A huge chunk of every government's revenue is spent on paying pension and other superannuation benefits to its employees from day one of retirement. Over 10.12 lakh retirees get pension from the Central government on the last day of every month (except March), through the Central Pension Authority which authorises over 55,501 bank branches across the country to release pension and settle all related matters. Recently, in reply to a RTI enquiry, the Union government gave out that of Central retirees, except from the railways, defence and telecom; nearly 2.33 lakh took voluntary retirement before reaching 60. Over 3.32 lakh were aged between 60 and 70, over 1.7 lakh lived up to 80, nearly 41 thousand were between 80 to 85; over 27.5 thousand between 85 and 90, only 11.4 thousand lived beyond 95 and 1675 beyond a century. Private companies pay no pension to their employees, big concerns retain outstanding employees beyond 60 with or without work and even after their deferred retirement allow certain perks to them, just as the TISCO, Jamshedpur did to its legendary CMD and partner, Russi Mody, until his death on 16 May, last year. Common employees are given a lump sum, when they snap the umbilical cord with their employer.
Pension is a British practice, introduced in India after the so-called Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 to appease their employees so that they refrain from Swadeshi movement. Hindu and Mughal rulers paid no pension howsoever outstanding their employees might have been. The Raj legalised it by the Pension Act of 1871. The pension amount was static, except for temporary increases in 1921 after the First World War and in 1943, 1944 and 1945 during the Second, to compensate for price rise. The first pay commission was appointed in 1946.
Even now, the chief attraction of eligible youngsters to join government service, despite much lesser pay and perks than in the private sector, is pension which no government froze, or reduced, even in the worst of times since Independence. Pension keeps retired employees hale and hearty and prolongs their lives. If not afflicted by cancer, diabetes, hypertension, dementia, gout and osteoarthritis, many pensioners remain fit and live up to 80 years, or beyond, because of proper health care and modern medicines through the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). Central dearness allowance has soared beyond 100 per cent over Sixth Pay Commission revision with effect from 2006 and rises every six months with the hike in price indices. No State or UT government raises DA like the Centre; West Bengal with its 7 per cent recent hike, lags behind Central DA by 42 per cent. Senior retirees from the Government of India draw more than 70,000 per month.
The main problem of such pensioners is thus not lack of money but enforced leisure. They worked for seven to eight hours a day for five days a week and were off-duty for 104 Saturdays & Sundays, 28 public holidays and were entitled to 12 casual and 33 days of earned leave. That is, working for a little more than half the year, they earn from January 2006 Rs. 6660 to Rs 80,000 as basic pay per month and half-yearly DA increases. Even after retirement, the CGHS provides them medical care and medicines for a pittance; in serious and emergency cases, they can avail treatment in government hospitals and in empanelled private super-speciality hospitals and nursing homes, both invasive and non-invasive. The ten-to-five office hours hang heavy on them; depression and abrupt loss of power, prestige, pelf and perks hasten death. They vegetate if they do not do any domestic work, render voluntary service, or do some paid work outside the home. Even healthy pensioners become fidgety, irritable and nagging and a nuisance to other family members or kin. They become sentimental and pettifog with their wives particularly. Being disgusted, sons and daughters-in-law pack them off to old-age homes where they slowly fade to death.
Work is alcohol; positive thinking is a powerful tonic. If the society or government creates some work for pensioners, paid or voluntary, it will take away their boredom and make their retired phase of life meaningful. In the government, they acquired experience and expertise in whatever they did, which few outside can equal or emulate. Society can benefit from these. How many motor mechanics of private companies can be as efficient as retired mechanics of Maruti factories? It holds true in every field of society. As population soars, more efficient people are required to cater to them in every sphere. Option for post-retirement work, free or paid, can be sought before their last day in service and after a cooling-off period, meaningful and relevant work can be offered to them near their homes or habitats. There would be many pensioners who would be willing to work for the society or government free, or on nominal wage or allowance. They will not block legitimate career prospects of serving employees; instead
they can forge a bonhomie and esprit de corps with the serving staff. Work for them can be created by local Panchayats and municipalities, by government institutions as long as they want and remain fit. Getting hefty pension while doing nothing for the society and the government makes them feel guilty. From performers on the stage of the world, they suddenly become onlookers from the ringside and worthless in the eyes of their families and neighbours; this makes them sad and looks for vicarious pleasure in watching sports, movies, plays or plain pornography. There are books and journals they had no time to access and read as cogs in the wheel of the Juggernaut of government. There are hidden talents that could blossom in superannuation. With ample time left to them, much of these could be bequeathed to society and posterity. Charles Lamb delved the pathos in the lives of the retired in the 'Superannuated Man' in Last Essays of Elia (1833):
"I am Retired Leisure. I am to be met within trim gardens. I am already come to be known by my vacant face and careless gesture, perambulating at no fixed pace, nor with any settled purpose. I walk about; not to and from. …I grow into gentility perceptibly…. I have done all that I came into this world to do. I have worked task work, and have the rest of the day to myself." Modern governments can alleviate this pathos by a relevant legislation and giving it effect through local self-government agencies and institutions.
Pension is a British practice, introduced in India after the so-called Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 to appease their employees so that they refrain from Swadeshi movement. Hindu and Mughal rulers paid no pension howsoever outstanding their employees might have been. The Raj legalised it by the Pension Act of 1871. The pension amount was static, except for temporary increases in 1921 after the First World War and in 1943, 1944 and 1945 during the Second, to compensate for price rise. The first pay commission was appointed in 1946.
Even now, the chief attraction of eligible youngsters to join government service, despite much lesser pay and perks than in the private sector, is pension which no government froze, or reduced, even in the worst of times since Independence. Pension keeps retired employees hale and hearty and prolongs their lives. If not afflicted by cancer, diabetes, hypertension, dementia, gout and osteoarthritis, many pensioners remain fit and live up to 80 years, or beyond, because of proper health care and modern medicines through the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). Central dearness allowance has soared beyond 100 per cent over Sixth Pay Commission revision with effect from 2006 and rises every six months with the hike in price indices. No State or UT government raises DA like the Centre; West Bengal with its 7 per cent recent hike, lags behind Central DA by 42 per cent. Senior retirees from the Government of India draw more than 70,000 per month.
The main problem of such pensioners is thus not lack of money but enforced leisure. They worked for seven to eight hours a day for five days a week and were off-duty for 104 Saturdays & Sundays, 28 public holidays and were entitled to 12 casual and 33 days of earned leave. That is, working for a little more than half the year, they earn from January 2006 Rs. 6660 to Rs 80,000 as basic pay per month and half-yearly DA increases. Even after retirement, the CGHS provides them medical care and medicines for a pittance; in serious and emergency cases, they can avail treatment in government hospitals and in empanelled private super-speciality hospitals and nursing homes, both invasive and non-invasive. The ten-to-five office hours hang heavy on them; depression and abrupt loss of power, prestige, pelf and perks hasten death. They vegetate if they do not do any domestic work, render voluntary service, or do some paid work outside the home. Even healthy pensioners become fidgety, irritable and nagging and a nuisance to other family members or kin. They become sentimental and pettifog with their wives particularly. Being disgusted, sons and daughters-in-law pack them off to old-age homes where they slowly fade to death.
Work is alcohol; positive thinking is a powerful tonic. If the society or government creates some work for pensioners, paid or voluntary, it will take away their boredom and make their retired phase of life meaningful. In the government, they acquired experience and expertise in whatever they did, which few outside can equal or emulate. Society can benefit from these. How many motor mechanics of private companies can be as efficient as retired mechanics of Maruti factories? It holds true in every field of society. As population soars, more efficient people are required to cater to them in every sphere. Option for post-retirement work, free or paid, can be sought before their last day in service and after a cooling-off period, meaningful and relevant work can be offered to them near their homes or habitats. There would be many pensioners who would be willing to work for the society or government free, or on nominal wage or allowance. They will not block legitimate career prospects of serving employees; instead
they can forge a bonhomie and esprit de corps with the serving staff. Work for them can be created by local Panchayats and municipalities, by government institutions as long as they want and remain fit. Getting hefty pension while doing nothing for the society and the government makes them feel guilty. From performers on the stage of the world, they suddenly become onlookers from the ringside and worthless in the eyes of their families and neighbours; this makes them sad and looks for vicarious pleasure in watching sports, movies, plays or plain pornography. There are books and journals they had no time to access and read as cogs in the wheel of the Juggernaut of government. There are hidden talents that could blossom in superannuation. With ample time left to them, much of these could be bequeathed to society and posterity. Charles Lamb delved the pathos in the lives of the retired in the 'Superannuated Man' in Last Essays of Elia (1833):
"I am Retired Leisure. I am to be met within trim gardens. I am already come to be known by my vacant face and careless gesture, perambulating at no fixed pace, nor with any settled purpose. I walk about; not to and from. …I grow into gentility perceptibly…. I have done all that I came into this world to do. I have worked task work, and have the rest of the day to myself." Modern governments can alleviate this pathos by a relevant legislation and giving it effect through local self-government agencies and institutions.
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