Pensioners’ Forum Organises ‘Sadbuddhi Yagya’ in Kanpur, Urges Government to Accept Pending Demands
Kanpur, March 1, 2026: The Pensioners’ Forum organised a “Sadbuddhi Yagya” at Chitragupt Dharamshala, C-Block, Govind Nagar, urging the government to accept long-pending demands of retired employees.
The symbolic prayer ceremony was conducted under the banner of the Pensioners’ Forum, a joint platform of various pensioner associations. Participants prayed for wisdom for the government to take immediate decisions on key issues affecting retired employees and to announce resolutions during the upcoming parliamentary session.
Forum representatives said the yagya was meant to promote goodwill and harmony among all citizens while pressing for justice for pensioners. They emphasised that uncertainty over benefits under the proposed 8th Pay Commission has created anxiety among retirees.
Among the primary demands raised were inclusion of pensioners in decisions taken under the 8th Pay Commission, merger of 50% Dearness Allowance (DA) with basic pension, and exemption of all pensioners from income tax. The forum also sought implementation of the Koshiyari Committee’s recommendation to provide a minimum pension of ₹7,500 plus DA to EPS-95 retirees.
The organisation further demanded restoration of pre-Covid concessions for senior citizens, including railway travel benefits, and payment of the 18 months’ Dearness Relief (DR) arrears withheld during the pandemic. If financial constraints persist, the forum suggested that arrears could be released in two or three instalments.
Additional demands included restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, reduction of pension commutation recovery from 15 years to 12 years, CGHS facilities for retired IIT employees, and provision of a nationwide travel facility once every two years for pensioners with an assistant.
The forum also urged the government to uniformly implement Supreme Court judgments for all similarly placed pensioners to prevent repeated litigation and judicial delays.
Several office-bearers and members of the Pensioners’ Forum were present at the event, including General Secretary Anand Awasthi and President Rajesh Shukla.
