Chandrababu Naidu asks Andhra Pradesh CM to pay full dues to pensioners

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged the state government to pay full monthly pension to the retired state government employees amid coronavirus pandemic.

According to a press release, Naidu "strongly objected" to the YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led state government deferring 50 per cent pension of the retired employees of Andhra Pradesh state government for the month of March this year.

Naidu called for immediate steps to pay 100 per cent monthly pension to the retired employees "considering their fragile health, treatment requirements and also their greater vulnerability in times of an epidemic like COVID-19".

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, Naidu pointed out that pension was an entitlement and not a gift or bounty and that entitlement was earned by the retirees after giving their long and unblemished services.

"Thus, pension assumes the nature of 'property' accrued by the lifetime service of employees. So, a 'property' cannot be deferred without the due process of law under Article 300A of the Constitution of India," Naidu wrote.

The press release said, Naidu also drew the chief minister's attention to the fact that the government was not empowered under any provision of the Epidemic Diseases Act or the Disaster Management Act or any regulation framed under the Epidemic Diseases Act to curtail the rights of pensioners to receive full pension.

"All retirees are aged above 60 years and it is observed that people above 60 years are more prone to contracting and succumbing to COVID-19. The retirees are in need of greater medical aid in view of their fragile health and on account of virus threat," he added.

The TDP chief urged the government to consider all the problems involved and immediate disburse full monthly pension to the retirees.

( With inputs from ANI )