: The Union government has plans to consider a proposal to include the recipients of guaranteed minimum pension under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) in the national health insurance programme, said G.M. Siddheshwara, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation. The programme, among other things, provides for cashless insurance for hospitalisation.
Speaking at a function to felicitate the pensioners under the scheme here on Tuesday, the minister said he would take up a request by labour minister Shibu Baby John to cover the pensioners under the RSBY (Rashriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) programme. “I will consult this matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union labour minister Narendra Singh Tomar at an appropriate time,” the minister said.
He said that the Modi-led government has taken several major decisions on social security within 100 days, including raising the mandatory wage ceiling for contributions to the EPF to Rs.15,000 from Rs. 6,500 and introducing a minimum pension of Rs.1,000 under the EPS 1995. Further, it has also increased the benefits under the Employees’ deposit Linked insurance Scheme (EDLRI) 1976 to Rs.3,60,000 from Rs.1,30,000. “I have learnt from my friends in the ministry of labour that an actuarial valuation of the EDLRI has already been ordered which will result into even more benefits under the scheme,” he said.
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Earlier, labour minister Shibu Baby John, placed a formal request on behalf of the Government of Kerala to cover the EPS beneficiaries under the RSBY scheme. “This will be helpful to meet the expenses relating to age-related illness,” he said.
Of the 3,26,534 EPS pensioners in the Kerala region, around 2,55,022 who are drawing a pension of less than Rs 1,000 a month would be the direct beneficiaries of the new scheme. The move by the Union Government would further benefit around 32 lakh out of 49 lakh pensioners who were getting pension amounts less than Rs 1,000.