BHUBANESWAR: As many as 5,000 representatives of 250 government employees’ and service associations on Sunday gathered here to press for their demand of re-introducing the old pension scheme (OPS) in the state.
The association’s leaders and representatives from over 40 government departments under the banner of National Movement for Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS) Odisha State Committee organised a Mahasamabesh at Utkal Mandap and submitted a memorandum to the state government on OPS and threatened to launch a mass agitation from November seeking fulfilment of their demand. NMOPS Odisha members said around four lakh state government employees recruited after 2005 have been deprived of pension after the new pension scheme was introduced.
“Both the Centre and state government abolished OPS and implemented New Pension Scheme (NPS) in 2004 and 2005 respectively for which the government employees posted after these two years are getting a pension of just Rs 600 to Rs 2,000 following their retirement,” said NMOPS Odisha president Bijay Malla. He asked why are government employees being forced to lead a miserable life after retirement when MP and MLAs are availing the benefit of old pensions like they used to years back.
The government employees said a committee under the chairmanship of Centre’s finance secretary is deliberating on NPS that has been disparaged by NMOPS, India Committee demanding implementation of OPS at Central level. At state-level, the West Bengal government is still paying old pension to its employees, while four other states - Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh have switched their pension system from NPS to OPS after realising the drastic consequences of the new one.
The employees also said the new pension scheme doesn’t have the provisions of GPF and DA. The presidents, secretaries and block coordinators from various service associations have urged the state government and Chief Minister’s Office to consider their grievance and reintroduce the Old Pension Scheme. They will go on strike under NMOPS Odisha in November if the government fails to consider it, the NMOPS Odisha leaders said.