Your kind attention is drawn towards Board’s letter dated 23.02.2017, through which all the Central Government Pensioners were made eligible to avail medical facility of CGHS/RELHS on payment of contribution, notified for such purposes in Board’s letter ibid. Revised rates of contribution/subscription at different levels, as per 7th CPC, were also enumerated in the table or last month’s Basic Pay, whichever is lower, was to be deducted from the settlement dues of the pensioner. These subscription rates were applicable to those Railway employees who shall be retiring and joining RELHS on or after 23.02.2017. Later, vide Railway Board’s letter dated 21.06.2018, revised rates of subscription for joining RELHS have been made effective from 01.01.2016 in place of 23.02.2017………

No.AIRF/101 Dated: September 6, 2018

The Director General(RHS),

Railway Board,

New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Subscription Rates of RELHS

Ref.: Railway Board’s letter No.2017/H/28/1/RELHS dated 23.02.2017 and No.2017/H/28/1/RELHS/Pt.1 dated 21.06.2018

Your kind attention is drawn towards Board’s letter dated 23.02.2017, through which all the Central Government Pensioners were made eligible to avail medical facility of CGHS/RELHS on payment of contribution, notified for such purposes in Board’s letter ibid. Revised rates of contribution/subscription at different levels, as per 7th CPC, were also enumerated in the table or last month’s Basic Pay, whichever is lower, was to be deducted from the settlement dues of the pensioner. These subscription rates were applicable to those Railway employees who shall be retiring and joining RELHS on or after 23.02.2017. Later, vide Railway Board’s letter dated 21.06.2018, revised rates of subscription for joining RELHS have been made effective from 01.01.2016 in place of 23.02.2017.

In this connection, your kind attention is drawn towards Ministry of Health & Family Welfare(Government of India)’s O.M. No.S.11011/11/2016-CGHS(P)/EHS dated 09.01.2017, through which, vide para 5(iii), it has been decided that, entitlement of pensioners/family pensioners, who have already deposited their contribution for life time CGHS facility, will not be changed.

AIRF has received various complaints from the Zonal Railways and Production Units that, the Railway employees who retired between 01.01.2016 to 02.02.2017 and joined RELHS after making due subscriptions, as applicable on the date of their retirement, are being compelled to pay excess amount, as per revised rates, circulated vide your orders dated 21.06.2018, which is against Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s O.M. referred to above

It is, therefore, demanded that, suitable instructions be issued to all concerned that, the Railway Pensioners who have retired/sanctioned pension between 01.01.2016 to 22.02.2017 should not be subjected to any recovery from their settlement dues/pensionary benefits in excess to subscription already deposited by them at the time of joining RELHS.

An early action in the matter shall be highly appreciated.

Copy to: General Secretaries, all affiliated unions – for information.