Metro India News | peddapalli

In a landmark development that marks a turning point for the welfare of Singareni coal mine workers, Member of Parliament Gaddam Vamsikrishna has secured Rs 140 crores towards the long-stagnant Singareni Pension Fund.

This development ends over 35 years of administrative apathy and revives a critical social security measure first envisioned decades ago.

Despite the pension scheme being launched during the tenure of former Union Minister Kaka Venkataswamy, there had been no enhancement to pension contributions since its inception. Successive governments failed to address the growing needs of thousands of retired coal workers, leaving their futures uncertain.

MP Vamsikrishna took the issue head-on, meeting with central ministers, engaging Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) officials, and persistently raising the matter in Parliament. His sustained efforts have now resulted in SCCL agreeing to allocate Rs 20 per ton of coal mined towards the pension fund — injecting Rs 140 crores into the scheme in a single move.

MP Vamsikrishna said ‘This is just the beginning, my mission is to ensure every retired worker receives a monthly pension of Rs 10,000. This movement is no longer about one individual, it represents the hopes and rights of lakhs of workers.’