Employees of assorted Central authorities departments and PSUs collect on the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on August 10, 2023, to hunt the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Thousands of employees of the Union authorities and Central public sector undertakings, together with the defence institutions, marched to Ramlila Maidan right here on Thursday demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
After the protest rally, organised by the Joint Forum for Restoration of Old Pension Scheme (JFROPS), a platform of about 60 unions, the employees despatched a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that if the prevailing National Pension Scheme (NPS) is allowed to proceed, employees recruited on or after January 1, 2004, might be discriminated in opposition to and might be “left in the lurch” after retirement.
The memorandum stated that beneath the OPS, 50% of the final fundamental pay drawn by the employees was straightaway given as pension and the Dearness Allowance was revised twice based mostly on inflation. “ln the NPS, there is no such defined and guaranteed pension, but it is only a defined contributory pension. This is total discrimination and in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of lndia, since on the basis of the date of appointment, the government employees have been divided into two classes, one group getting defined and guaranteed pension equivalent to 50% of their last pay drawn without any contribution whereas the other group getting a meagre pension with contribution which depends on the vagaries of market,” the memorandum stated urging Mr. Modi to intervene to revive the OPS.
End uncertainty, says employees
Employees who participated within the march demanded that the uncertainty over pension should finish. Jai Prakash Gupta, an worker with the Agriculture Department, stated the uncertainty of earnings as a result of NPS raises considerations. “If something happens to me, my family’s financial security isn’t guaranteed under the NPS,” he stated, including that the Centre has disadvantaged him of his old-age assist. “The one who suspends NPS will win our vote, or else we’ll remove them from power,” he stated.
Ashuthosh Upadhyay, one other worker, stated the vote for the BJP was for welfare, however now he had misplaced the belief over the saffron occasion. “The Modi government works for monopolies and corruption is now centralised,” he stated. Satendra Kumar Sisodia, an worker with the Education Department, stated the NPS is a burden imposed on the employees. “Pension is our backbone, a lifeline we’ve relied on for generations. With the advent of the NPS, the sense of security on hearing the word pension has now turned into anxiety,” he added. “Unless OPS is restored before the 2024 election, we are resolute in our plan to orchestrate a widespread upheaval,” stated Kailash Patel, a colleague of Mr. Sisodia.
(With inputs from Garvita Shah)
