KARACHI: The EOBI faces worst administrative crisis as Federal Government shows lack of interest – The Institution has deprived of the key posts of permanent Chairman and other departmental Director Generals.
The national welfare Institution is being run by acting officials, including an acting Chairman. As a result of this situation Pension appeals from workers, salary and pension increases for EOBI employees, recruitment of 250 new officers, and other important issues awaits a new Chairman.
The Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), which runs under Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development, Govt. of Pakistan a vital national welfare organization overseeing a national pension fund of over Rs.500 billion, registered over 10 million Insured Persons and provides monthly Pension to approximately 500,000 aged pensioners, is currently facing a severe administrative crisis.
The Institution as in the past once again without a permanent Chairman and key senior officials due to the federal government’s lack of interest. As a result, the Institution is being managed entirely on adhocism by acting officials, from the Chairman to middle management levels, which has severely affected its governance, performance, and services related to workers community, additionally, EOBI is also facing a severe shortage of human resource.
According to Israr Ayoubi, a former PRO EOBI and now Director Social Safety Net,Pakistan, who is closely monitoring EOBI affairs, said ” it has been seven months since the retirement of the previous Chairman, Flt. Lieutenant (R) Khaqan Murtaza, in September last year, yet the federal government has failed to appoint a permanent Chairman of EOBI.
The Federal Government appoints a Grade 21officer for a three-year term as per rule. Similarly, the key positions such as Director General HR, Director General Operations, Director General Investments, Financial Advisor, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees have also remained vacant for a long time”.
This has significantly weakened the Institution’s administrative and financial structure, disrupting its daily operations, including, registration of Establishments and their workers under the EOBI pension scheme, collection of monthly Contributions and outstanding dues from the registered employers, processing of pending appeals u/s 35 of EOB Act, 1976 from Insured Persons at the Appellate Authority Head Office Karachi, finalization of recruitment process of 250 new officers…
… implementation of a 25% salary increase for in-service employees, a 15% pension increase for retired employees of EOBI, as announced by Federal Government in the last budget and expected pension increases for millions of EOBI pensioners. Due to the absence of a permanent Chairman three consecutive meetings of the Board of Trustees have been postponed, causing frustration and unrest among EOBI employees and pensioners, he added.
Israr Ayoubi further stated that the root cause of EOBI’s ongoing crisis is the extreme negligence of Federal Government and especially Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Federal Minister of OP&HRD who has completely ignored his primary ministry and its affiliated Institutions, including EOBI.Instead, he is solely focused on his additional ministry, the Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony.
This alarming situation has not only demoralized EOBI employees but its worst impact is being felt by thousands of retired and disabled workers, poor widows of deceased employees, and orphans, who are experiencing significant delays in receiving their EOBI pensions.
Newspakistan.tv
