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Govt to pay pension; telecom officers intensify agitation

The government on Monday said it would pay pension to the 400,000 employees of the proposed Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited even as the officers intensified their 10-day old 'work to rule' agitation seeking cadre protection.

An official statement quoted Union Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan asserting that the government would pay pensionary benefits, including family pension. However, it avoided any reference to the Consolidated Fund of India.

Earlier, to end the indefinite strike by three major federations, the government had agreed to pay pension from the Consolidated Fund on September 8 and copies of the agreement were distributed.

Blaming a section of the media 'for inadvertently misreporting' on the issues of pension, earned leave, half-pay leave and general provident fund, the statement said earned leave and half-pay leave at the credit of the employees would be transferred to BSNL.

Meanwhile, the talks between government and the Indian Telecom Service Association remained inconclusive as the officers stuck to their stand that the ITS cadre should be protected in the new corporation.

ITSA had intensified its agitation from Monday morning. "Government has, in-principle, agreed to protect the cadre for five years, but we are not ready to agree for any time-bound protection," U K Srivastava, ITSA chief informed.

The talks would resume on Wednesday.

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