increases for 80+ wallas Gen.Secretary circular Dk /8

FEDERATION OF RETIRED LIC CLASS I OFFICERS' ASSOCIATIONS           

President :    N.P. Bali 705, Sur, Veena Saaz, Thakur Complex, Kandivali (East), Mumbai - 400 101 Mob : 9820324213 Email Id - npbali@hotmail.com

General Secretary :    D Krishnan No.6/1, Sreshta Riverside Apartments, Wood Creek Road, Nandambakkam, Chennai - 600089 Tel : 9176635967 / 044 42850049. Email Id - dkrishnan1@gmail.com

 

Ecircular No.DK/8                                           12-02-2020

REG:  MEETING  WITH  MD  TODAY

Friends,

Around 10th Jan 2020, I received a call from Madam Aruna Seth,  Secretary Personnel, CO, asking if I could go over to Mumbai for a chat with MD, on some pending matters. I said I could go over. The date for meeting was given as 12th Feb. 2020.

 

The meeting looked a formal one, arranged in the Discussion chamber. Those who attended included MD, ED (Personnel), Chief Personnel, Secretary Personnel Smt Aruna Seth, and one officer of Manager rank. Our side was represented by Sri Arunachalam and I.

 

I asked the MD what the purpose of this meeting was. He said, there were a number  of things on the unfinished Agenda of matters discussed/represented to them from our side, and these were reviewed in the presence of Chairman, ED legal, ED (P) and others, and they had not found a way of taking decisions on any of them. So, I asked whether we had been called to say 'NO' to all our pending matters. He smiled in acceptance. But said the Chairman was keen that it should be officially communicated.

 

It was mainly on the pending items of the DHC order where they expressed difficulty. 

 

I told him that we had come here to see if problems could be solved even if it meant some compromise from our side.  I took the example of the date LIC had wrongly reckoned from 2007 for the Arrears calculation. I said we could take a flat amount if not the exact balance. I said the other important point about rate of DR applied to pre-1993 retirees at 0.23% instead of 0.29% could also be sorted out in a similar way. We wanted to move on.

 

Then I asked about 1992-93 retirees waiting for justice, now in their late 80s. I told him this was rank injustice to people similarly placed as MC Jain who won the point in SC. MD listened and said, let us re-examine the matter

 

Then I asked about Captain Vasudevan's case for full pension after reckoning the Army Service of 4 years. Though there was no positive answer, we got to know later,  from Smt Aruna Seth, that a group of similarly placed ex-army people in LIC and outside had gone to Delhi HC and got a favourable verdict and she said ‘you please verify it’.

 

MD mentioned that even the Pension firmly on 1st of month is still not sorted out, since the NEFT transfers, on holidays are done only for individuals but not to corporates. He said since this was a decision by the banks and not RBI, he was following it up.

 

MD also mentioned that 3 matters are lying with the Government for approval viz., Extending age from 65 to 67 for giving 7 years full pension for widows, Improving Family Pension to 30%, and increases for 80+ wallas.  He said he had discussed these with the ministry and every month our ED (P), on her Delhi visit, is following up.

 

MD said, the 33 years’ service for full pension has not been changed though he had discussed a number of times with the Ministry.  Similarly with Pension being reckoned on the basis of last month pay drawn, instead of  last ten months average. These changes have not happened.

 

I made a repeat request for full medical check-up for pensioners once a year, which he said he will see.

 

I discussed the Kolkata Voluntary Retirement case where the officer was denied the group insurance scheme. It was not covered in the Circular on Voluntary Retirement and he was shocked after his VR. I said if the point was about fitting in a younger age person into a higher age premium structure, the officer may not still mind joining such an offer.  ED (P) promised to review the case.

 

The biggest gain of the visit was around discussions on Medi-claim matters. Sri Sanjay Gupta (Actuary) is the Nodal officer and he clarified on many things where we come into difficulties.  He said Nursing charges were not to be added to Room rentals. Where they do it, we can refer to him and he will solve it. Similarly, VRK's point about Asst.  Doctor’s  fee not reimbursed was also not correct.

 

Submitting  self-attested  copies should do, and Originals need not be submitted.

 

The Deductions made out of the claimed amount, not informed to the claimant was another matter, which he said he would follow up on.

 

There was quite some discussion on non-hospitalisation reimbursement on special Reports and why the fee paid to the MD Doctor was not reimbursed. He explained that the scheme basically was only for Hospitalisation, and these were extended concessions negotiated with New India Insurance Company, and they had only agreed for about 16 or so Special reports, that too without Doctor prescribing being paid, which actually would fall in the area of domiciliary treatment which is not part of this Scheme.

 

He said Robotic surgery was permitted for certain difficult situations like cancer surgery, and spinal surgery.

 

About the problems encountered on Cash-less scheme he has noted the points and has promised to take it up.

 

Actually there are Zonal Nodal Officers too who can help in such cases. Sri Sanjay Gupta CO Nodal officer at ADM level, felt that the Nodal Officers at Zones need a training on these practical matters.

 

He mentioned and demonstrated the use of LIC portal, which is part of the LIC site. That gives out all Circulars and changes are being up dated.

 

Sri Gupta mentioned that the confusion, for local New India or TPAs, comes because they are more familiar with the general scheme the Insurance company  offers to others, whereas ours is a negotiated scheme with special features.

 

Many members might still have questions, because this is a brief Circular drafted on my mobile while still in Mumbai.

 

This communication is supposed to be shared with all the Associations that met the Chairman last time, on 24-07-2019, though in a representative way we were called.

 

They have promised to share the names of all Zonal Nodal officers for our Medi-claim.  This perhaps is no way to share information through a scrappy Circular drafted without any flair. I thought speed was of the essence here. 

 

I must add here, that though this was negative kind of message from the CO, we made full use, trying to tell them that we had come in a positive spirit of compromising on matters. We want to get a move on and that they should review matters from that spirit. We mentioned about Pension Revision giving live examples of how very senior retirees were suffering on account of erosion in value of their pension.

 

Thanks and best wishes  

 

 D.Krishnan

General Secretary