Indian Coal Mine Workers Get Only $1.6 In Monthly Pension — An Online Petition Seeks To Change That

A Change.org petition is trying to get the Indian government's attention to change the "paltry" monthly pension for its retired coal mine workers. 

The petition addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on his government to revise the pension, which ranges between 50 to 125 rupees ($0.64 to $1.6) per month — an amount that has not changed since the inception of the Coal Mines Pension Scheme 24 years ago.

“It is hopelessly meager to give a dignified survival,”  Dattatreyulu Jammalamadaka, the petitioner, has written on Change.org.

The petition has received nearly 18,000 signatures and needs 7,000 more to become one of the top signed pleas on Change.org.

Coal Association's Long-Time Request

The All India Association of Coal Executives (AIACE), a national level association of serving and retired executives of state-owned CIL and SCCL, has been seeking government intervention for a long time.

P K Singh Rathor, convenor and principal general secretary of AIACE, exclusively told Benzinga that his association and the All India Coal Pensioners Association have been trying to get the government to review its scheme.

The association claimed to have organized silent protests in New Delhi to draw the government’s attention to the plight of coal pensioners, but it was in vain.

Rathor said that despite the increase in per-head contribution from employees, the government never revised the coal pension scheme since 1998, "leaving those retired 15 to 20 years ago in a state of destitution."

The organization has so far approached 77 members of parliament and now plans to meet chief ministers of coal-bearing states for their support.

The association estimates that out of nearly half a million coal pensioners in India, about 70,000 are getting less than 3000 rupees ($38) as a pension, with many getting less than INR 500 ($6).

Union Minister Weighs In

Last week, India's road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, sought the intervention of coal minister Pralhad Joshi about the issue, according to media reports.

Gadkari, in a letter to Joshi, reportedly said, “many pensioners are getting the same amount as pension from last 23 years.”

"They are following the matter of revision and increase of pension with many authorities but could not succeed so far. You are requested to have the matter looked and examined into and provide the best possible relief ... as per rules with due verification," Gadkari wrote.