Pension anomalies to be resolved soon

Shirley Wijesinghe

Discussions will take place soon with the Salary and Cadre Commission to remove the present pension anomalies, said Acting Minister of Public Administration and Home Minister Chandrasiri Gadjadheera at the 07th Annual General Meeting of the Public Servants Pensioners' Trust Fund held at Colombo Public Library recently.

Minister Gadjadheera said that it has been generally accepted that the problem of cost of living today is adversely affecting all pensioners. However President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed to add Rs. 1000 to the salary of Public servants amidst present financial difficulties of the country.

There are 450,000 pensioners in the country today. The present membership of the Fund exceeds more than 110,000 members.

The Government is keen to create an adequate atmosphere for them to live with peace and harmony even after their retirement too, said Minister Gadjadheera.

He lauded the membership contribution to the fund which has been strengthened up to more than Rs.30 million within a short period.

The Minister said that the development projects of the Central Government should be extended to rural areas where more than 72 per cent of the population is represented.

Therefore, the Government has already implemented development projects in rural areas.