Kakinada: UGC pensioners thank CM YS Jagan for sanctioning additional quantum

Kakinada: Hailing the sanction of additional quantum (AQ) of pension to UGC pensioners through GO No 14 on March 1, senior retired principal D Seshagiri Rao expressed his profound thanks to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Among the category of pensioners, UGC pensioners are treated as minority pensioners since they are governed by the UGC scales pertaining to pay and dearness relief barring other allowances like AQ pension and medical allowance which are exclusively sanctioned by the State government.

There is a visible discrimination between the State government pensioners and UGC pensioners. Hence their hybrid, paradoxical pay scales revised for every ten years are implemented after three or four years, it causes a lot of despair and frustration to UGC pensioners.

During their twilight years, the recently sanctioned AQ pension gives immense joy and satisfaction compared with the State government pensioners who enjoy the PRC scales every five years along with AQ pension without any hindrance from the Finance department.

In the recent years from the announcement of 7th UGC pay scales, the UGC pensioners have gone through an agonising period of inordinate delay in the matter of consolidation of their pension for 7th pay UGC scales.

Vice-president of All India Federation of Retired University and College Teachers Organization Dr KV Ramana Reddy and S Krishna, national secretary, besides general secretary V Partha Saradhi made relentless efforts in getting Concordance (CC) tables from MHRD, New Delhi through the goodwill of PV Mithun Reddy, MP and Panel Speaker of Lok Sabha.

It may be mentioned here that the most benefited cadre is UG principals whose pay scale is fixed at Rs 72,100. All the principals and lecturers are profoundly grateful to All India Federation of Retired University and College Teachers Organization (IFRUCTO) for a laudable, significant effort in the matter of securing CC tables which ultimately enabled the consolidation of pension of 7th pay scale to UGC pensioners.

However, owing to the ambiguity and the lack of appropriate clarification, the AQ pension shelved and kept in abeyance for more than nine months. Owing to the inexhaustible and tireless efforts of executive of Retired College Teachers Association (RCTA) comprising president PV Ramana Reddy, working president and general secretary R Ramachadra Reddy, the GoMs No 14 was issued to the benefit of aged UGC pensioners.

Srikakulam RCTA secretary Radha Prasad gladly acknowledged the publicity by the Hans India of their cause. "We owe our success to the wide publicity given by 'The Hans India' to our cause and all of us wholeheartedly thank the newspaper for the concern towards the aged UGC pensioners."

N Ramam, a retired lecturer of Kakinada profusely thanked Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and other Ministers for their timely and laudable help to the pensioners. He also thanked the synergetic efforts of IFRUCTO and RCTA for achieving success in getting the full UGC scales coupled with AQ pension.

Dr NKV Rao, a retired principal remarked that all members have to be grateful to the twin associations. At last, the GO pertaining to AQ pension served as a light at the end of the tunnel.

Further, he hoped that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy would help in issuing relevant unambiguous GOs for the quick payment of UGC arrears from February 1, 2016 as well as arrears relating to AQ pension. The RCTA members as well as the executives thanked the State government for their sensitive concern towards the UGC pensioners.