FEDERATION OF RETIRED LIC CLASS I OFFICERS' ASSOCIATIONS
President : N.P. Bali
705, Sur, Veena Saaz, Thakur Complex,
Kandivali (East), Mumbai - 400 101
Mob : 9820324213
|
General Secretary : D Krishnan
No.6/1, Sreshta Riverside Apartments,
Wood Creek Road, Nandambakkam, Chennai - 600089
Tel : 9176635967 / 044 42850049.
|
Ecircular No.DK/8 12-02-2020
REG: MEETING WITH MD TODAY
Friends,
Around
10th Jan 2020, I received a call from Madam Aruna Seth, Secretary
Personnel, CO, asking if I could go over to Mumbai for a chat with MD,
on some pending matters. I said I could go over. The date for meeting
was given as 12th Feb. 2020.
The
meeting looked a formal one, arranged in the Discussion chamber. Those
who attended included MD, ED (Personnel), Chief Personnel, Secretary
Personnel Smt Aruna Seth, and one officer of Manager rank. Our side was
represented by Sri Arunachalam and I.
I
asked the MD what the purpose of this meeting was. He said, there were a
number of things on the unfinished Agenda of matters
discussed/represented to them from our side, and these were reviewed in
the presence of Chairman, ED legal, ED (P) and others, and they had not
found a way of taking decisions on any of them. So, I asked whether we
had been called to say 'NO' to all our pending matters. He smiled in
acceptance. But said the Chairman was keen that it should be officially
communicated.
It was mainly on the pending items of the DHC order where they expressed difficulty.
I
told him that we had come here to see if problems could be solved even
if it meant some compromise from our side. I took the example of the
date LIC had wrongly reckoned from 2007 for the Arrears calculation. I
said we could take a flat amount if not the exact balance. I said the
other important point about rate of DR applied to pre-1993 retirees at
0.23% instead of 0.29% could also be sorted out in a similar way. We
wanted to move on.
Then
I asked about 1992-93 retirees waiting for justice, now in their late
80s. I told him this was rank injustice to people similarly placed as MC
Jain who won the point in SC. MD listened and said, let us re-examine
the matter
Then
I asked about Captain Vasudevan's case for full pension after reckoning
the Army Service of 4 years. Though there was no positive answer, we
got to know later, from Smt Aruna Seth, that a group of similarly
placed ex-army people in LIC and outside had gone to Delhi HC and got a
favourable verdict and she said 'you please verify it'.
MD
mentioned that even the Pension firmly on 1st of month is still not
sorted out, since the NEFT transfers, on holidays are done only for
individuals but not to corporates. He said since this was a decision by
the banks and not RBI, he was following it up.
MD
also mentioned that 3 matters are lying with the Government for
approval viz., Extending age from 65 to 67 for giving 7 years full
pension for widows, Improving Family Pension to 30%, and increases for
80+ wallas. He said he had discussed these with the ministry and every
month our ED (P), on her Delhi visit, is following up.
MD
said, the 33 years' service for full pension has not been changed
though he had discussed a number of times with the Ministry. Similarly
with Pension being reckoned on the basis of last month pay drawn,
instead of last ten months average. These changes have not happened.
I made a repeat request for full medical check-up for pensioners once a year, which he said he will see.
I
discussed the Kolkata Voluntary Retirement case where the officer was
denied the group insurance scheme. It was not covered in the Circular on
Voluntary Retirement and he was shocked after his VR. I said if the
point was about fitting in a younger age person into a higher age
premium structure, the officer may not still mind joining such an
offer. ED (P) promised to review the case.
The
biggest gain of the visit was around discussions on Medi-claim matters.
Sri Sanjay Gupta (Actuary) is the Nodal officer and he clarified on
many things where we come into difficulties. He said Nursing charges
were not to be added to Room rentals. Where they do it, we can refer to
him and he will solve it. Similarly, VRK's point about Asst. Doctor's
fee not reimbursed was also not correct.
Submitting self-attested copies should do, and Originals need not be submitted.
The
Deductions made out of the claimed amount, not informed to the claimant
was another matter, which he said he would follow up on.
There
was quite some discussion on non-hospitalisation reimbursement on
special Reports and why the fee paid to the MD Doctor was not
reimbursed. He explained that the scheme basically was only for
Hospitalisation, and these were extended concessions negotiated with New
India Insurance Company, and they had only agreed for about 16 or so
Special reports, that too without Doctor prescribing being paid, which
actually would fall in the area of domiciliary treatment which is not
part of this Scheme.
He said Robotic surgery was permitted for certain difficult situations like cancer surgery, and spinal surgery.
About the problems encountered on Cash-less scheme he has noted the points and has promised to take it up.
Actually
there are Zonal Nodal Officers too who can help in such cases. Sri
Sanjay Gupta CO Nodal officer at ADM level, felt that the Nodal Officers
at Zones need a training on these practical matters.
He
mentioned and demonstrated the use of LIC portal, which is part of the
LIC site. That gives out all Circulars and changes are being up dated.
Sri
Gupta mentioned that the confusion, for local New India or TPAs, comes
because they are more familiar with the general scheme the Insurance
company offers to others, whereas ours is a negotiated scheme with
special features.
Many members might still have questions, because this is a brief Circular drafted on my mobile while still in Mumbai.
This
communication is supposed to be shared with all the Associations that
met the Chairman last time, on 24-07-2019, though in a representative
way we were called.
They
have promised to share the names of all Zonal Nodal officers for our
Medi-claim. This perhaps is no way to share information through a
scrappy Circular drafted without any flair. I thought speed was of the
essence here.
I
must add here, that though this was negative kind of message from the
CO, we made full use, trying to tell them that we had come in a positive
spirit of compromising on matters. We want to get a move on and that
they should review matters from that spirit. We mentioned about Pension
Revision giving live examples of how very senior retirees were suffering
on account of erosion in value of their pension.
Thanks and best wishes
D.Krishnan
