Sri Vijaya Puram | February 14, 2026
Responding to a nationwide call by the Forum of Civil Pensioners Associations, New Delhi, pensioners staged state-level mass dharnas across the country on Thursday, demanding withdrawal of the Centre’s decision to categorise pensioners and seeking inclusion of pensioners in the Terms of Reference of the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC).
In the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the Government Pensioners Association organised a mass dharna at Tiranga Park from 3.30 pm to 6 pm.
Inaugurating the protest, Association President K.G. Das criticised the government for differentiating pensioners based on their date of retirement while granting CPC benefits, terming it an injustice to senior citizens who had devoted their prime years to government service.
D. Ayyappan, former General Secretary of the Non-Gazetted Government Officers Association, alleged that Part III of Chapter V in the Finance Bill 2025 empowers the government to differentiate pensioners by retirement date, overriding Supreme Court rulings that prohibit such classification.
S.L. Vinjit, General Secretary of the Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association, highlighted delays in constituting the 8th CPC and expressed concerns over the effective date of its recommendations.
Several association leaders addressed the gathering, which saw large participation from pensioners.
