8th Pay Commission– Pensioners may get a big gift in the 8th Pay Commission. A 3-fold increase in one of their allowances can be considered. The foundation of this increase was laid in the 34th meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA), which was chaired by Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh. Many important issues were discussed in the meeting.
Employees raised the issue of Fixed Medical Allowance
During the meeting, the employee unions raised the issue of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) of pensioners before the government. They were told that the healthcare cost is constantly increasing and the amount being given as allowance is not sufficient. After this, it was decided that the proposal to increase the Fixed Medical Allowance can also be included in the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission. In the meeting, it has been proposed to increase the Fixed Medical Allowance from the current Rs 1000 per month to Rs 3000 per month.
What is Fixed Medical Allowance
According to RK Verma, General Secretary of the Joint Employees Council, Fixed Medical Allowance is a monthly allowance given to those pensioners who do not get regular treatment from government health facilities and instead bear their own medical expenses. This amount is very important for those retired employees who live in remote areas or who do not have facilities like CGHS. Currently, FMA is Rs 1000 per month, which was last revised in 2014. Since then, the cost of health services, medicines and doctors’ fees have increased considerably.
The Standing Committee of Parliament had recommended
In the 34th meeting of SCOVA, many issues related to pensioners were discussed. During this, the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW) cited the recommendations of the Standing Committee of Parliament. This committee has recommended a 3-fold increase in Fixed Medical Allowance.
The Finance Department has also agreed to this proposal. This has raised hopes that it can be included in the ToR of the 8th Pay Commission.
