Pensioners protest against Pension Validation Act in Tirupati

Pensioners from various institutions staged a demonstration at the BSNL head office in Tirupati on Friday, protesting what they termed a draconian law enacted by the Union government, alleging that it would adversely affect pensioners.

Responding to a call given by the Forum of Civil Pensioners Associations, Tirupati, members gathered at the office and raised slogans against the government for thrusting what they described as an unjust Pension Validation Act, 2025. The Act would hurt the interests of nearly 65 lakh pensioners of the Central government, State governments and public sector undertakings, the demonstrators said.

The protest was led by former Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax A. P. Naidu, forum president A. R. Soundarrajan and convener Y. S. Raju. They demanded that the terms of reference of the 8th Pay Revision Commission be amended to extend benefits to BSNL and MTNL pensioners and that long-pending dues be fixed from 01.01.2026.

Pensioners representing the Department of Telecommunications, BSNL, Postal and RMS services, insurance companies, Grameena banks, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs and the railways took part in the demonstration and expressed solidarity.