The Centre may consider taking a decision on the demands of private sector employees covered under the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for a raise in the minimum pension, which currently stands at Rs 1,000 a month.
According to a report by Financial Express last week, a delegation of EPS-95 pensioners met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on January 10 to put forward their long-standing demand of an increase in the minimum monthly pension to Rs 7,500, along with dearness allowance (DA).
Among the demands is also free medical treatment for both the pensioners and their spouses, said the report.
The government had fixed Rs 1,000 as the minimum pension in 2014 under the EPS-95—Employees' Pension Scheme 1995.
The EPS-95 National Agitation Committee that met the FM ahead of Budget 2025 for a consultative meeting, said that Sitharaman assured them that their demands would be reviewed, stated the report.
Trade unions also met the FM, however, their demand was to raise the minimum pension to Rs 5,000 per month, instead of Rs 7,500 demanded by the EPS-95 National Agitation Committee, added the report. The EPS-95 National Agitation Committee criticised the unions for their demand, terming it "inadequate" and "unfair" to meet the basic needs, it said.
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