NEW DELHI, Aug 8:
Government will soon issue a notification to implement the Budget proposal of increasing the minimum monthly pension under the EPS-95 scheme to Rs 1,000, Labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said.
“My ministry has cleared the proposal and a notification will be issued soon,” he said, responding to issues raised during a debate on private member bill on minimum pension for unorganised sector.
On concerns voiced during the discussion on National Minimum Pension (Guarantee) Bill, 2014, moved by Nishikant Dubey, the Minister said Government will take steps to identify unorganised workers and prepare schemes to improve their condition.
To suggestion of minimum Rs 5,000 monthly pension for unorganised workers above 60 years, Tomar said when it took 68 years for the Government to raise minimum monthly pension for organised worker to Rs 1,000, the members could imagine how much time it would take to raise it to Rs 5,000 for all workers.
The Budget proposal to raise minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 under EPS-95 scheme run by retirement fund body EPFO would benefit 28 lakh pensioners who get less than this amount at present.
Tomar said Government has been implementing various social sector schemes to provide pension and also other benefits to weaker sections of the society.
As regards the unorganised sector, he said, once Government is able to identify them and collect data, it would become possible to frame schemes for their welfare.
Members cutting across party lines supported the Bill on minimum pension, but it was withdrawn following an assurance by the minister that the NDA Government is committed to address the problems of unorganised sector workers.
Among those who participated in the discussion include BJP members Anurag Thakur, Jagdambika Pal, Virender Kashyap, P P Chaudhary , Mahendra Nath Pandey and Rama Devi, Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD) and Sankar Prasad Datta (CPI-M). (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Aug 8:
As Congress leaders seek a larger role for Priyanka Gandhi in the party, Natwar Singh, who has created a flutter with his book, said only the “family” will decide her entry into active politics.
“What will happen to Rahul? That decision the family will take,” he said when asked if Priyanka should play a bigger role in the party.
Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the formal launch of his autobiography “One Life is Not Enough” last night, Singh said, “They are united. Only three people will take the decision (Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka)”.
About Sonia, Singh said he was surprised to hear that she would be writing a book.
Stressing that his book is not an individual-centered book, he said, “the media centered it on one who now says will write a book. Normally, she doesn’t respond to anything and I’m surprised she did”.
Claiming that Sonia’s reaction had helped in bigger sale of his book, Singh, who was once a close confidant of the Gandhi family, said, “I don’t know who advised her. I would have said just don’t get involved in this. The net result is that the sales have gone up”.
Singh said he wants Sonia to start writing the book she promised as she is one of the world’s most powerful people.
“She owes it to the nation. She has said this is how the truth will come out. I’m waiting to see what kind of a truth it is,” he said.
The former Union Minister said when he was close to Sonia, he had suggester to her to write a book and she had then declined saying that Priyanka would be writing her biography and she would join as co-author.
He also said that there were certain things which he did not reveal in his book.
“I have not written many things. As it will be dishonourable for me to spill all the beans. There is at least 10 per cent which I will never talk about,” he said. (PTI)