AIRF highlighted genuine demands of Railway Employees for Railway Budget 2014-15
Railway Budget 2014-15 – Suggestions of AIRF
All India Railwaymen’s Federation
4, State Entry Road,
New Delhi – 110055
No.AIRF/60
Dated: June 28, 2014
Hon’ble Minister for Railways,
Ministry of Railways,
(Government of India),
New Delhi
Respected Sir,
Sub:
Rail Budget 2014-15 – AIRF’s suggestions
All India Railwaymen’s Federation(AIRF), the largest federation of
the Ministry of Railways, would like to place following general and
genuine demands of the Railwaymen and their dependents for inclusion in
the forthcoming Rail Budget 2014-15.
1. The former Hon’ble Minister for Railways had made a number of
announcements in regard to various Welfare Schemes while presenting
successive Rail Budgets, that include opening of Medical Colleges,
Nursing Colleges, Central Schools, Technical Institutions etc. was made.
In addition. In addition, “Own Your House Scheme” and provision of
Mobile Medical Van for treatment of Railway Staff and their families
posted on roadside station, was also announced by them for the
Railwaymen. It is unfortunate that the above schemes have yet not been
seen the light of the day due to one reason or the other and no proper
budget allocation is made for implementation of the same.
Ref.: (i) Para 32 of Hon’be MR’s Rail Budget Speech for the year
2009-10 in respect of setting up of Nursing College and Medical
Colleges.
Ref.: (ii) Para 50 of Hon’be MR’s Rail Budget Speech for the year
2010-11 – Setting up of hospitals and educational institutions on
surplus railway land.
Ref.: (iii) Para 61 of Hon’be MR’s Rail Budget Speech for the year 2011-12 in respect of setting up of Polytechnics
With a view to secure trust and believe of more than 13 lakh
Railwaymen in the Railway Ministry, it would be quite appropriate that
necessary budgetary provision is ensured in the forthcoming Rail Budget
for the year 2014-15, so that there is some visible progress in this
regard.
2. Extension of LARSGESS
The “Liberalized Active Retirement Scheme for Guaranteed Employment of
Safety Staff” (LARSGESS) was introduced in the year 2010, modifying the
“Safety Related Voluntary Retirement Scheme” in vogue, that came into
effect in the year 2005.
This LARSGESS Scheme has been working quite successfully and
satisfactorily in maintaining safety standards on the Indian Railways
and has equally been found economically viable also, as such the scope
of this scheme needs to be extended to cover all Safety Categories Staff
working in GP up Rs.4600.
3. Improvement in the condition of Railway Colonies, roads and Running/Rest Rooms
A large number of Railway quarters are over-aged and their
maintenance/repair is not practicable due to abnormally high cost. Due
to paucity of sufficient funds, neither proper maintenance/repair of the
Railway quarters is being managed nor new quarters built in replacement
of the old-aged ones. The roads and drainage system in the Railway
Colonies is also in very depleted condition. Similar is the condition of
most of the Drivers/Guard’s Running Rooms, TTEs Rest Rooms, Subordinate
Rest Houses and Rest Rooms for other Railways staff, as a result of
which, these staff are not able to take proper rest therein.
Adequate funds needs to be allocated for improvement in the condition
of Railway Colonies, Running Rooms, Rest Houses, Rest Rooms etc. as
also for provision of separate Ladies Running Rooms/Rest Rooms, Toilets
and Change Room for Women Railway Employees.
4. Improvement in medical facilities
Railway Health Services are getting deteriorated day-by-day due to
non-availability of adequate number of Railway doctors, paramedical
staff and infrastructure. Even life saving medicines are at times not
being provided to Railway beneficiaries on account of paucity of
resources. Proper allocation of funds for overall improvement in Railway
Health Services is, therefore, required to be made so as to engage
Specialist Doctors, paramedical staff and availability of proper quality
of medicines, particularly life saving medicines from reputed firms.
Sufficient number of specialized private or semi-government hospitals
are also required to be recognized for treatment of Railway
beneficiaries at all important stations.
The already announced “Smart Card” facility for getting cashless
treatment in recognized hospitals has not yet been implemented despite
lapse of sufficient time, as such this facility be introduced
immediately for all existing and retired Railway employees so that they
are able to get hassle-free treatment in emergency.
In the wake of present Central Government’s scheme to open Medical
Colleges in all the district hospitals, all the Divisional Hospitals in
the Railways should also be considered for opening of Associated Medical
Colleges, wherein facilities available in this hospitals, like doctors,
paramedical staff and other medical facilities can be made use of,
because the Divisional Hospitals mostly cover more than one district.
There should be no age bar for getting treatment from the Railway
Hospitals/Referral Hospitals for the wards of the Railwaymen, and the
same should continue till marriage of the daughter or employment of the
son without any age limit.
5. Filling up of Safety Category Posts
It is seen that despite several assurances by the Ministry of Railways,
around 1.5 lakh Safety Category Posts always remain unfilled, which is a
potential danger to the safety of rail operation. Some new mechanism,
therefore, needs to be developed to fill up at least vacancies in the
Safety Categories in a time bound manner, wherein priority needs to be
given to the wards of the Railwaymen. This procedure was in vogue in the
early 1990s
6. Extension of facilities of Privilege/Complimentary Passes
It may be recalled that, one of the former Hon’ble Ministers for
Railways had announced to extend the benefit of Privilege/Complimentary
Pass to both the parents of the Railwaymen and the officers, but the
same is yet to be implemented. In case of Defence employees and other
enterprises, both the parents are entitled to avail the facility of free
travel, but not in the Railways, which is the largest transport system
in our country. This needs to be implemented forthwith.
The facility of Post Retirement Complimentary Passes is being denied
to all those Railway employees who could not complete 20 years of
Qualifying Service due to their late entry in the Railways, either
appointed on compassionate ground or absorption of Coolies, employment
of Ex. Servicemen in Railways. Since all these appointments are made
under special circumstances, the condition of minimum Qualifying Service
of 20 years needs to be relaxed for such employees.
The age limit for entitlement of Passes also needs to be enhanced for
dependent son in the present social scenario until they get employment,
without any age bar.
7. Revision of New Pension Scheme
During the course of negotiations held with the Railway Board on
07.02.2014 on the 36-point Charter of Demands of the AIRF for Railway
Strike, it was unanimously agreed that New Pension Scheme will be
replaced with “Old/Guaranteed Pension Scheme” for those employed on or
after 01.01.2004 on Indian Railways on the pattern of Defence personnel.
The former Hon’ble MR had, therefore, taken up this issue with the
Ministry of Finance also. Suitable measures be announced to meet the
agreement arrived at between the Staff Side and the Railway Board.
8. Absorption of Quasi-Administrative Staff in the Railways
The Quasi-Administrative Staff employed on the Indian Railways be
regularized and Railway Board may be instructed to restore the scheme
for Quasi-Administrative Offices as being allowed in case of Railway
Officers for engaging TADK/Bungalow Peon.
9. Provision of proper infrastructure and manpower while introducing new trains
New trains are being introduced as a regular measure without providing
proper infrastructure and adequate manpower, resulting in increasing
workload has become a safety hazard, owing to shortage of staff and
improper infrastructure. Therefore, no new trains be introduced until
proper infrastructure and adequate manpower is made available for
running the same.
With kind regards!
sd/-
(Shiva Gopal Mishra)
General Secretary
Source : AIRF
