“Even sniffer dogs post-retirement get a maintenance of ₹ 6,000 a month after serving a few years in the Police department. But pensioners of noon meal scheme and anganwadis after serving more than three decades get a paltry pension of ₹ 1,500,” complained the general secretary of Tamil Nadu Noon Meal Scheme and Anganwadi Pensioners’ Association, E. Mayamalai.
Members of the association staged a demonstration seeking family pension and better pension in front of the Collectorate on Wednesday.
The association had nearly a lakh members and 90 per cent of them were women. They had served as noon meal organiser, cook and helper and as anganwadi worker and ayah.
“After having put in 30 years of service, we feel shameful of not drawing the minimum pension. As of now we are getting pension of ₹ 1,500 under Social Security Scheme whereas we should have been brought under the Tamil Nadu Pension Rules,” he rued.
The minimum pension should be ₹ 3,050 or 50 per cent of the last drawn pay.
Mr. Mayamalai said that even those who had worked for six months under the National Population Census had their temporary services regularised when they were absorbed under various government departments, he said.
Similarly, the service period of daily wage or contract workers in municipalities were taken into consideration for their pension calculation when they were absorbed into the regular service, he said.
Stating that Village Assistants whose basic qualification was only 5th standard were getting regular pension while the noon meal and anganwadi pensioners were denied it.
The association has planned to major protest in front of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on July 18, he added.
