EOBI in neglect

The government is finalizing various budgetary proposals for the fiscal year 2019-20 including provision of benefits to serving as well as retired employees of various organisations by enhancing monthly remuneration besides other supporting measures. A look into these policy measures reveals that EOBI pensioners have been totally ignored for any type of assistance. The current EOBI pension amount is a meagre one and not even sufficient to meet one’s kitchen requirements. A retired person is in dire need of proper medical care, in addition to many other hardships faced in post-retirement life. Realizing the hardships of EOBI pensioners, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari in the recent past had vowed to enhance the amount of the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pension thus giving a hope to EOBI pensioners. All that hope has totally vanished after the budget. The prime minister needs to immediately take notice of this serious issue and approve an increase in pension amounts to a minimum Rs20,000 per month to be implemented from the next fiscal year 2019-20

Khalid Mahmood

Islamabad