Monday, 21 July 2025

My RTI Second Appeal - Fallen On Deaf Ears? (An Excerpt)

 EXCERPT


The Life Insurance Corporation of India which is a trustee of billions of rupees of the policyholders does not deem it necessary to maintain transparency in its dealings. It does not provide a rationale to its decisions, which is very dangerous for a Public Authority of its stature, where millions of employees and policyholders are being governed by its decisions. It is not behaving in a responsible and accountable manner.
If it can get away with repudiating billions of rupees due to its resigning employees as arrears, since 1997; I shudder to think about what could happen to the policyholders’ insurance policies worth billions of rupees, in future? What is the guarantee that such a huge Reserve Fund is safe with such an insurer that makes decisions arbitrarily or doesn’t maintain its records meticulously?

I also pity the other employees and policyholders who must be facing the nightmare of not getting information under their RTI queries, from LIC of India.
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VERY IMPORTANT

I have received the names of 45 employees (Class I Cadre) who were denied the arrears’ payment by LIC of India in this Charter dt. 2010; (5 pertaining to the WZO and 40 pertaining to the Central Office) through this RTI Application. This is incomplete information and the Corporation is unwilling to part with the statistics pertaining to the Corporation as a whole. But one can assume that approximately 25 employees of Class I cadre and 25 employees of the Class II Cadre have been denied the arrears’ payment in each Divisional Office of LIC of India.

According to the replies of the CPIOs and the FAAs of the Corporation, to my RTI query no. 3, LIC has 115 Divisional Offices, 8 Zonal Offices, 9 Audit Centres, Central Office and MDC spread all over India, thus there are 134 offices of LIC of India. Assuming that 6240 employees have been denied arrears’ payment in this Charter dt. 2010, and an equal no. of employees have been denied arrears’ payment in the Charters dated 2000 and 2005; approximately18720 employees have been denied arrears’ payment.

If each of these employees was supposed to have got Rs. 4,00.000/- the amount repudiated totally works out to a staggering Rs.74,88,000,000/-. (This is a very conservative estimate. The actual amount may be higher, depending on the actual number of resigning employees who have been denied arrears payment and difference in Retirement Benefits; and the revised wages of the resigning employees in the Higher Management Cadres of LIC of India.)

Where has all this money gone and how has it been accounted for in LIC of India’s Financial Statements? Has it even been accounted for, at all, by LIC of India, considering the fact that it does not have records of repudiated amounts due to its resigning employees as per its own admission, in reply to my RTI queries?

No wonder, Sri K. Rajivan Nair, Regional Manager, (CRM/CPIO) WZO, LIC of India, told me in his SELF-PROFESSED “OFF THE RECORD” phone call to me, FROM THE ZONAL OFFICE LANDLINE NUMBER on 30-03-2012, that “ASKING FOR ANSWERS FROM LIC IS LIKE BREAKING YOUR HEAD AGAINST A WALL. LIC WILL NOT ANSWER ANY OF YOUR REMAINING QUESTIONS. WE DO NOT WANT TO OPEN A PANDORA’S BOX BY REPLYING TO YOUR QUESTIONS.”

END OF EXCERPT

Read the full text of my RTI Second Appeal in my blog dated 18th August, 2014.

Interestingly, the CPIO, Central Office, LIC of India, admitted in her written response to this appeal that there is no reason on LIC's records; to repudiate our wage revision arrears!

So LIC's decision to repudiate our wage revision arrears is arbitrary! Not acceptable for an organization of LIC's stature!
In fact, not acceptable for any other enterprise too! 

Employees are assets and not disposable commodities. 

If there is no rationale for repudiation, why have the arrears been repudiated? Wages are our constitutional rights. Pay up, LIC of India. PRONTO.

Thursday, 1 May 2025

Betrayal of ex-employees by L.I.C of India - Has L.I.C of India ever heard of International Labor Day?

                                                       Shocking but true!

             
                   L.I.C of India betrays its resigning employees’ Good Faith!


It repudiates Arrears’ payment and difference in Retirement dues to its resigning employees.

   
      The Life Insurance Corporation of India, the number one life insurer in the whole world, has not paid arrears of wage payments and arrears of difference payable under Statutory retirement benefits like Provident Fund and Gratuity, due to its resigning employees; since the 1st of August 1997, as revealed by answers to my RTI application. Revision of the wage bill in the Corporation is done after a period of every five years, but the notification is invariably delayed and the arrears are always paid after a gap of three years after they are actually due.

      The Board of Directors of LIC of India has taken the decision to repudiate the arrears and sent it to the Finance Ministry for approval, though it is a purely administrative decision and not a policy decision. Only policy decisions involving public interest need to be referred to the Finance Ministry. The decision of the Finance Ministry also needs to be analyzed as to why it approved the Corporation’s decisions without due consideration of their legality and Court Judgments on the issue.

     The Corporation has adopted a strategy of depriving its voluntarily resigning employees, that is those who are retiring before twenty years of service, of their legitimate dues by simply resorting to announcement of the notification after inclusion of a clause in a Gazette notified by the Finance Ministry of India, that such employees will not be eligible for payment of arrears. This effectively means that even if a resigning employee has been in service, that is, on roll of the Corporation on the date from which the arrears were effective, he/she will not be eligible to get arrears’ payment. This is illegal as wages are rights of an employee, according to our Indian Constitution and Labor Laws.

For instance, I had resigned after 18.5 years of service on 2nd July 2010 and the notification for payment of arrears due from 1st August 2007 was announced on 11th October, 2010. Legally, I was entitled to the arrears of difference in my wages from 1st August 2007 to 2nd July 2010 but it was denied on the basis of this Gazette and subsequent Circular’s notification by the Corporation.

     Similarly, the Provident Fund and Gratuity being Statutory retirement benefits, their difference will also have to be paid as per the revised, enhanced wages. All the allowances, perks, etc. would also have to be calculated accordingly and the difference would have to be paid to that resigning employee.

The Corporation wrongly differentiates between the two classes of voluntarily resigning employees as those who have completed 20 years of service and those who have resigned before completing 20 years of service. The first class is entitled to the Wage Revision Arrears’ Payments and the second class isn’t entitled to it! Since the wage revisions were announced for all the employees of the Corporation, as a class, the Corporation should not deny the benefits to the resigning employees.

Besides, the Minutes of the Corporation’s Board Meeting with points regarding recommendations made to the Finance Ministry, for repudiation of arrears and retirement benefits; have not been given to me as they are not available with the Corporation! There is also no rationale on record; of this decision by the Corporation, as revealed by the replies received from the Corporation, in response to the RTI Application made by me; to L.I.C of India.

 The Corporation has also replied that the Central Government takes this decision to repudiate arrears’ payments and hence it has repudiated arrears’ and other allied retirement benefits. 

In fact, it is the Managing Board of Directors of LIC of India, which takes this decision.

LIC of India has 115 Divisional Offices, 8 Zonal Offices, 9 Audit Centres, MDC and Central Office, as per the RTI replies. The total number of resigning employees whose arrears have been repudiated, since 1997 will be in thousands, and the total repudiated amount since 1997 will surely amount to crores of rupees.

The Corporation has refused to answer my RTI queries for details regarding the names, addresses, phone numbers and number of employees who have been denied the arrears payments and difference in retirement and other benefits due to them, as also the actual amount repudiated. The Central Office has given a list of 40 resigning employees, for 2010; and given an affidavit dated 4th April, 2014, that no other information apart from that given to me in response to my RTI queries, is on its records.

     Interestingly, it refuses to part with this vital information on the grounds that it does not have this information in a centralized form in its Central Office. This is not true as all the information is sent by all the subsidiary offices of the Corporation to its Central Corporate Office in Mumbai regularly on a monthly basis. The Corporation’s Central Office compiles, consolidates and prepares the Final Trial Balance, Balance sheet and other Accounting Statements on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis and annually presents the same in the Parliament as it is a Public Sector Organization.

     The Central Office server in its I.T. Department has the entire record of all the employees, (in the form of ‘Employee Masters’) of the Corporation and the details of all the resigning employees of the Corporation are updated as and when they retire from service.

     The Corporation has a highly organized and computerized set-up and all its records are computerized, hence it is hard to believe that it cannot reply to those queries in my RTI Application which pertain to information about such employees who have been short-changed by it; and the mind-boggling amounts involved.

     The amounts repudiated haven’t even been accounted for, by the LIC of India in its books of accounts. Had these arrears payments been made, the Income-tax against these payments would have been sent to the Income-Tax Department. Thus this action of LIC of India has even led to a revenue loss to the Central Government exchequer. The Balance Sheet of LIC of India, a reputed Public Sector organization, will also not reflect the correct picture of its financial status.

      Interestingly, the Gazette notifications G.S.R. 824 (E), 825 (E), 826 (E), 2470 (E), issued by the Ministry of Finance, dated 8th October, 2010; contain a point in their Explanatory Memorandum stating: “It is certified that no employee of the Life Insurance Corporation of India is likely to be affected adversely by the notification being given retrospective effect.”

     Besides, the Supreme Court has already passed a judgment asking the Corporation to pay such arrears to retired employees, in its 2007 judgment. Thus, wasn’t the Corporation guilty of Contempt of Court, if it still persisted in referring to the Finance Ministry for approval, subsequent Gazette notification with the same clause 3 1) b) regarding repudiation of arrears (send proviso of Para 3 of the Notification dated 21st December 2005 is struck sown being ultra vires to the extent it deprives the petitioner and other similarly situated persons to get the benefit of revised pay scale with effect from 1st August 2002 after applying the principle of severability. Supreme Court's decision- Petitioner VS GIC) and then issuing an official Circular dated 11th October, 2010?

     The evasive and lackadaisical response of the Corporation shows that it lacks transparency in its dealings, its records are not maintained properly; it does not follow standard accounting procedures and fair HR practices.

     The Corporation is a trustee of trillions of public money. To its credit, it has been regularly making Claim payments to the beneficiaries of its insurance policies, and has the lowest ratio of claims repudiated, in the whole world. Why can’t it play fair with its resigning employees and pay them their dues, gracefully? Is it too much to ask for?

     Hence I request all those employees who have resigned from the Public Sector Insurance companies (LIC, GICs and LICHFL) and not been paid arrears and other retirement benefits and allied dues, to come forward, send their names, phone numbers, e-mail ids, addresses and employment particulars (in these companies), etc. to me; so that we can collectively fight for justice.  You may post your comments and details online on this blog.


     I had also started a thread of discussion - 'LIC of India repudiates wage arrears' payment'; on the website www.lawyersclubindia.com/Labour and Service law/Service. You may also post your feedback there.

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                                                                             Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan

Wednesday, 9 April 2025

Drawing Competition 20th April 2025 Priya's Vision Academy

 PRIYA'S VISION ACADEMY 

      Drawing Competition 

Have fun with colors and unity!

Details:

Date: 20th April, 2025

Timings: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Age group: 5 to 16 years

Entry fees: Rs.150 only

10 to 10.30 Registration

10.30 to 11 Briefing

11 to 12 Competition 

12 to 12.30 Adjudgment

12.30 to 1 Prize giving and photo session. 

3 groups will be formed :

Age group 5 to 8 years

                  9 to 12 years

                13 to 16 years

As it's an on -the- spot contest, 

3 topics will be given for each age group.

The child must select any one and make the drawing. 

A4 size paper, pencil, eraser, ball point pen, sharpener, ruler  and drawing materials of the children's choice should be brought to the venue along with a mat for sitting, handkerchief,  water bottle, cup for water if using water colours, palette and a rag for wiping the brushes.

Rs.150 will be collected from each participant as an entry fee before the contest. 

Memento and certificate will be given to all participants.

3 prizes will be awarded in each category.

The judge's decision  will be final and binding.

The photos of the event will be posted on our blog at 

uniquepriya's vision. blogspot.com and our FB page and LinkedIn. 

The participants will be given further instructions at the venue.

Thanks.

The venue for the drawing competition to be held by Priya's Vision Academy on 20th of April, 2025 is the address given below:

Office no.5, Block no.1, Llyods Chambers,

Maldhakka Chowk,

Next to Sinchan Bhuvan, 

Pune 411011

See you soon then...

Priya's Vision Academy- Makes your life blossom.

Friday, 7 March 2025

Happy Women's Day! When will L.I.C of India and the Government of India walk the talk?

            The topmost echelons of the management of L.I.C of India consist of many women. Unfortunately, while they are apparently interested in women's empowerment, (rather, just talking about it!) their actions belie their attitude. There are some who deliver powerful lectures on women's empowerment but when it comes to actually walking the talk, develop cold feet and coolly look the other way!

          
          My tryst with the R.T.I appeal to the organization for getting my arrears and answers to queries; proved the above-mentioned sad truth. If I'd have got all my answers, I'd have also felt empowered, but alas, these ladies have forgotten the very meaning of empowerment, by choosing to be the Devil's Advocate (literally)!
          
          True empowerment can be attained only by supporting others. If ladies deprive other ladies (and men!) of their legally rightful dues and also justify it, it's a matter of concern and shame. Surely, they can use their own sense of judgment, reasoning and logic to make the men in their team aware of their flawed and unjust decisions instead of towing their line and trying to save their jobs and maintaining the status quo!
          
          These ladies have not shown the slightest bit of support to the cause of the resigning employees; arbitrarily and unjustly not being given their arrears and difference in retirement benefits, by the management.

           Interestingly, my letter regarding this injustice to the Finance Minister of India, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman's Office was met with a stony silence. Ditto, the Prime Minister and his Office! Whom should we approach now? Courts? When the Supreme Court has already declared the 3 1 B Clause which repudiates wage revision arrears to be ultra vires? PIL? Of course.

          So one can just conclude that women can be women's best friends and worst foes too!

          Once we get all our dues from the Corporation, I will be filling the form for Deha-daan (body-donation). That is my vow. 

          In case of my earlier demise, my family will be donating my body/organs to my chosen hospital.

                                                                              ******
           While euphorically celebrating Women's Day today in all offices of L.I.C of India, government offices and private offices, institutions, etc. let's not forget the immense contribution of all ladies who strive to make better lives for themselves and their beloved ones, brave many a storm and emerge victorious. Here's to Stree Shakti in all its forms! More power to you and may you always go from strength to strength.

           My dear long-suffering friends,
                       Rest assured, we will soon get our dues along with compound interest from L.I.C of                         India. I can feel it in my bones! Just keep the JOSH high!
                                                                                                                             Priya