In this era of inflation, the biggest concern of retired employees is pension. If the amount received after years of service is not able to meet even the daily expenses, then the problems of the elderly increase further. In such a situation, there is hope of a big relief before the Union Budget 2026. The government is now seriously considering the long pending demand of increasing the minimum pension. According to sources, there may be a big announcement for pensioners associated with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) in the budget or soon after.
At present, employees covered under EPFO get a minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month. The surprising thing is that there has been no change in this amount for the last 11 years. During this period, inflation has increased manifold. Employee organizations clearly say that at present a pension of Rs 1000 is not practical in any way.
demands of employee organizations
On January 6, the delegation of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) had met the Union Labor and Employment Minister regarding this issue. The demand for increasing the minimum pension was strongly put forward in the meeting, on which the Minister showed a positive attitude and assured of appropriate consideration. Apart from this, other employee organizations have also reiterated their demand to increase the minimum pension from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 per month.
Case in Supreme Court
The matter is not limited to the government only. The issue related to minimum pension is also currently under consideration in the Supreme Court. In such a situation, there are indications that the government may soon take a concrete decision in this direction. Experts believe that Budget 2026 can prove to be a turning point in this matter.
EPFO’s new initiative
Meanwhile, EPFO is also busy preparing to make its services easier. The organization is planning to deploy ‘Suvidha Sahayak’ to help members with pension, PF claims, account linking and other processes. These assistants will provide services to the members at a fixed fee, so that elderly pensioners do not have to visit offices.
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