Ambala, December 17: Retired employees from across the district, under the leadership of District President Master Kuldeep Chauhan and Secretary Dayal Saini, staged a protest march from Shiksha Sadan to the Deputy Commissioner's office and submitted a memorandum to the City Magistrate addressed to the Prime Minister. The memorandum demanded that the Pension Finance Bill 2025 be withdrawn.
The retired employees demanded that they be given all the benefits of the Eighth Central Pay Commission as before. The deduction for commuted pension should be limited to eleven years. The 18 months of dearness allowance withheld during the COVID-19 pandemic should be paid. A 10% increase in basic pension should be given at the age of 65 and a 20% increase upon completion of 75 years of age.
Free medical treatment should be provided to retired employees in all government and empanelled hospitals, and the medical allowance should be increased to Rs. 3,000 per month. The four anti-labor codes should be repealed. The Developed India Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Act 2025 should be withdrawn. The NPS should be abolished and the old pension scheme should be implemented, and all vacant posts should be filled through permanent recruitment.
The retired employees prominently raised the issue before the City Magistrate regarding private bus owners not giving a 50% fare concession to senior citizens and humiliating them by forcing them off the buses. The protesters expressed regret that a written complaint had been submitted to the administration on November 26 regarding this matter, but no action had been taken against the culprits. This has emboldened the bus owners, and they are openly exploiting senior citizens.
Besides those mentioned above, retired employees Dalbir Sodhi, Ranjit Singh, Ashok Verma, Kishan Sagar, Ram Nath Dhiman, Om Prakash, Tejinder Singh, Satpal Chauhan, Satish Sethi, Gurcharan Singh, and Vijender Singh Kamboj, along with District President of Sarva Karamchari Sangh Haryana Inder Singh Badhana, Secretary Vikas Verma, and Treasurer Ravinder Sharma, participated in the protest.