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“Retired Employees Facing Financial Distress,” Pensioners’ Body Questions Government and IBA
Pooja Srivastava | Anytime News Network
Lucknow: The All India Indian Bank Pensioners and Retirees Association (AIIBPARA), Uttar Pradesh (Central) unit, has strongly criticised the delay in pension revision and the rising healthcare burden on retired bank employees. During a press conference held ahead of its fourth triennial convention, the association accused the government and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) of ignoring long-pending demands of pensioners, pushing many retired employees into financial hardship.
Association president N. N. Dubey and state secretary Harihar Prasad Singh stated that pension revision and updation, which should have been implemented in line with successive bipartite wage settlements since 1995, remain pending even after several years. According to the association, the disparity has become so severe that in some cases recently retired lower-grade employees are receiving higher pensions than officers who retired nearly 15 years ago.
The organisation alleged that despite the availability of pension funds and interest earned on them, authorities have failed to implement revised pension payments. Pensioners claimed that this continued delay has created deep inequality among retirees and forced many senior citizens to struggle with inflation, medical expenses, and declining savings.
Healthcare costs emerged as another major issue during the press briefing. The association pointed out that medical insurance premiums have increased sharply in recent years, while many treatment and medicine expenses are not fully covered under existing insurance policies. Pensioners argued that elderly retirees are being compelled to spend substantial amounts from their limited pensions for healthcare needs.
The annual medical allowance of Rs 4,000 provided to Indian Bank pensioners was also termed inadequate. The association demanded that the allowance be revised in line with present medical inflation and benefits available to serving employees.
AIIBPARA further demanded removal of anomalies in dearness allowance calculations, withdrawal of GST on health insurance premiums, implementation of the Group Medical Insurance Scheme (GMISR), and creation of a dedicated grievance redressal forum for pensioners.
The association announced that its triennial convention will be held on May 10, 2026, with participation from pensioners, public representatives, and customers from Lucknow and nearby districts. Leaders hinted that if their demands continue to remain unresolved, larger protest movements and collective action may be considered in the coming months.
Senior leaders including central committee president Nirmal Bari, general secretary K. K. Singh, vice president Lakshman Singh, AIBPARC state president R. S. Verma, and All India Indian Bank Officers Association president R. N. Shukla also expressed concern over the worsening condition of retired bank employees.
