Memorandum Submitted by Retired Government Employees’ Association in Malkangiri Over Pending Issues and Welfare Concerns

Malkangiri, April 23:  Following the directives of the Odisha State Retired Employees Association, members of the Malkangiri District Retired Government Employees’ Association, under the leadership of President Balaraju Padhi, organized a peaceful procession and submitted a memorandum of demands.
During the rally, the association submitted a 10-point memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister of India and a 9-point memorandum to the Chief Minister of Odisha through the Block Development Officer of Malkangiri.
Key demands submitted to the Prime Minister include:
Immediate withdrawal of certain provisions of the Finance Act 2025
Replacement of the NPS and UPS with the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)
Implementation of the 8th Pay Commission benefits for pensioners retired before December 31, 2025
Payment of pending Dearness Allowance (DA), including 18 months’ dues from the COVID period with interest
Reduction of the commutation period
Restoration of concessions in railway and state bus travel
Inclusion of state pensioners in health insurance schemes similar to central government employees
Stopping privatization of public sector units
Withdrawal of four labor codes considered anti-worker
Exemption of income tax for pensioners
Key demands submitted to the Chief Minister of Odisha include:
Implementation of cashless health insurance and medical allowance for pensioners above 60 years
Restoration of certain administrative departments
Provision of additional pension benefits after 65 years of age
Revision of pension based on pay matrix anomalies
Reduction of commutation period from 15 years to 10 years 8 months
Implementation of OPS in place of NPS/UPS
Fixing minimum pension at ₹9,000 in line with central norms and reducing qualifying service to 20 years
Payment of pending DA from the COVID period
Provision of government accommodation for the State Pensioners’ Association
Several members including Vice-President Surendra Kumar Mallick, Secretary Ashok Samal, Advisor Prakash Chandra Pattnaik, and others participated in the procession, along with around 50 association members.