Sribharat raises pension and sports infrastructure issues with Centre
Visakhapatnam Member of Parliament M. Sribharat met Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Monday
Visakhapatnam Member of Parliament M. Sribharat met Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Monday, and raised concerns over pension benefits for Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS-95) pensioners, higher pension grievances of retired Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) employees, and funding for a sports facility in Visakhapatnam. In a representation on EPS-95 pensioners, Mr. Sribharat said thousands of beneficiaries, including former RINL employees, were receiving pensions as low as ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a month.
He sought enhancement of the minimum pension, introduction of an inflation-linked dearness relief mechanism, and comprehensive healthcare coverage for pensioners and their spouses, citing recommendations of the Koshyari Committee and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. On RINL’s higher pension issue, the MP said that retired employees who had exercised the Joint Option for Higher Pension could not deposit the additional contribution in time as demand notices were uploaded only on the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) portal, disadvantaging those unfamiliar with digital platforms.
He also flagged the plight of widows of deceased employees receiving family pensions of ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a month, and sought a one-time window for eligible employees who missed the deadline for genuine reasons. Separately, Mr. Sribharat urged the sanction of ₹14 crore under the ‘Khelo India’ scheme for a multipurpose indoor hall at Chinagadili-Arilova in Visakhapatnam. He said that the proposal, routed through the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh on the MDSD portal, had addressed all scrutiny observations, with the Detailed Project Report and allied technical documents submitted as per scheme guidelines.
He cited the shortage of sports infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh after the State’s bifurcation. The Union Minister responded positively to the representations and assured that the concerns would be examined.
The BriefWire