VSP pensioners seek reopening of higher pension option

Retired employees of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), under the banner of the All Pensioners and Retired Persons Association, submitted a memorandum to the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO, on Tuesday, urging him to reopen the option for Pension on Higher Wages (PoHW) and to reissue demand letters.

They stated that applications of 1,099 pensioners had been rejected, while several others could not apply for PoHW within the stipulated time due to genuine and unavoidable constraints linked to the digital mode of implementation. The entire process of submission, verification and payment was conducted exclusively through the EPFO online portal, which posed technical and procedural challenges for many retirees.