Retired pensioners in Nashik staged a protest at the divisional Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) office on Tuesday (18th), demanding that the government fulfill its promise to resolve the issue of minimum pension. The protest was led by the Nashik District EPF Federation, expressing strong dissatisfaction over the delay in addressing their long-standing demands.
Earlier in February, the All India Coordination Committee had protested at Jantar Mantar to highlight pensioners' issues. During the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) meeting, it was assured that the minimum pension issue would be resolved. However, ahead of the recent CBT meeting, pensioners were informed that their demands would be discussed in the next meeting, leading to frustration and anger among them.
The pensioners' key demands include:
- A minimum pension of ₹9,000 along with a dearness allowance.
- Inclusion of 25 pensioners under the Food Security Act.
- Free health facilities.
- Concessions on railway fares.
Feeling deceived by the central government and the EPFO, pensioners adopted an aggressive approach and locked the EPF office as a mark of protest. A large number of pensioners participated in the demonstration, including Nashik District EPF Federation’s founder president Raju Desale, district president Ramesh Suryavanshi, and members D.B. Joshi, Chetan Paner, Namdev Borade, Dhananjay Chatur, Shivaji Dhobale, Subhash Shelke, V.D. Dhanawate, Ramesh Padhye, Uttam Adhav, Prakash Naik, Bhausaheb Shinde, and Sahebrao Shivle.
The protestors have warned of intensified agitation if their demands continue to be ignored.