Gujarat polls: Congress, AAP promise to revive outdated pension scheme

By PTI

AHMEDABAD: The demand for restoration of the outdated pension scheme (OPS) has emerged as a serious ballot plank in Gujarat with each the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party promising to implement it if voted to energy within the state the place the Assembly elections are scheduled subsequent month.

With this promise, the opposition events goal to garner the help of lakhs of presidency staff who’re up in arms in opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) authorities over the brand new pension scheme.

Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will probably be held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

The Gujarat authorities launched the brand new contributory pension scheme for workers becoming a member of the service on or after April 1, 2005.

As per its notification, it would make an identical contribution of 10 per cent of the essential pay plus dearness allowance (DA) contributed by the staff within the NPS fund.

Under the Centre’s scheme, the federal government will contribute 14 per cent in opposition to an worker’s contribution of 10 per cent of his/her wage and DA with impact from April 1, 2019.

After protests by staff in Gujarat, the state authorities stated the brand new pension is not going to be relevant to these staff who had joined obligation earlier than April 2005. It additionally promised to extend its contribution to the fund to 14 per cent from 10 per cent earlier.

The staff have staged huge agitations in opposition to the federal government in Gujarat whereas demanding restoration of the OPS as a result of they consider the New Pension Scheme shouldn’t be within the curiosity of the retiring staff.
READ | States must rethink on going again to outdated pension scheme: PFRDA chairman

With the BJP authorities not acceding to the calls for of the staff, the Congress and the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP have assured to convey again the OPS, in considered one of their most emphatic ballot guarantees.

Both events have assured the agitating staff that the brand new pension scheme (NPS) will probably be scrapped and the OPS will probably be restored. They have given the examples of their governments in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh (the place Congress is in energy) and Punjab (ruled by the AAP) to drive dwelling the purpose.

“We launched an agitation with 15 demands, of which those related to restoration of the OPS and fixed salary issue were not accepted. The government formed a committee. It said it will increase its contribution to the NPS fund but no notification was issued,” Digvijaysinh Jadeja, working president of the Akhil Bharatiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, a physique of presidency major faculty lecturers, advised PTI.

There are practically seven lakh authorities staff who’re urgent for the demand for the OPS, together with round 70,000 major faculty lecturers who joined earlier than 2005 on a set wage.

Jadeja had in February 2019 led an agitation the place round two lakh major faculty lecturers proceeded on ‘mass informal depart’ and gathered to protest exterior the Gujarat Assembly within the capital Gandhinagar.

The agitation was revived forward of the upcoming Assembly elections when hundreds of state authorities staff, together with faculty lecturers, joined the mass informal depart protest throughout the state in September this 12 months.

The agitation had pressured the federal government to mellow its stand on the problem and it promised to take the choice on the OPS on the proper time, saying it was a coverage matter.
ALSO READ | Gujarat govt staff be part of ‘mass informal depart’ stir over outdated pension scheme

Mahesh Mori, convenor of the Rashtriya Samyukt Morcha, a physique of state authorities staff, advised PTI that the federal government’s guarantees have been solely verbal and no notification was issued to make it official.

“The authorities continues to be unsure over the problem of OPS.

We demanded that the OPS be carried out for all staff.

The authorities stated in a gathering with us that the staff who joined earlier than April 1, 2005, and never 2004, will get advantages of the OPS, however didn’t difficulty any notification,” Mori stated.

Jadeja stated they’ve held conferences in several elements of the nation and are demanding that the OPS be carried out in all of the states.

“The OPS is better because the retiree gets 50 per cent (of salary at that time) as pension. The NPS is based on the share market and the amount of pension reduces,” he claimed.

Jadeja stated the staff in Gujarat are conscious that non-BJP-ruled states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab and West Bengal have reverted to the OPS for his or her staff, whereas the 17 states ruled by the saffron social gathering proceed with the NPS.

“They will decide accordingly what to do in the election,” stated Jadeja, who can be the president of the Gujarat State Primary Teachers’ Federation.

The implementation of the OPS is a part of the Congress’s election manifesto for Gujarat. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had stated these claiming that the OPS will put a burden on the exchequer weren’t proper because it was all about monetary administration.

The AAP has assured authorities staff in Gujarat that it’ll implement the OPS if voted to energy within the state. To bolster its level, the AAP authorities in Punjab reverted to it quickly after the cabinet there gave the nod for its restoration.

AAP nationwide convener and Delhi CM Kejriwal in an announcement lately claimed the brand new pension scheme was “unfair” and stated the OPS ought to be restored and carried out everywhere in the nation. He had additionally tweeted that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP authorities in Punjab fulfilled the promise.

“If the people of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat give (us) a chance, we will implement OPS there too,” Kejriwal had stated. Polling for the 68 Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh was held on Saturday.

AHMEDABAD: The demand for restoration of the outdated pension scheme (OPS) has emerged as a serious ballot plank in Gujarat with each the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party promising to implement it if voted to energy within the state the place the Assembly elections are scheduled subsequent month.

With this promise, the opposition events goal to garner the help of lakhs of presidency staff who’re up in arms in opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) authorities over the brand new pension scheme.

Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will probably be held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

The Gujarat authorities launched the brand new contributory pension scheme for workers becoming a member of the service on or after April 1, 2005.

As per its notification, it would make an identical contribution of 10 per cent of the essential pay plus dearness allowance (DA) contributed by the staff within the NPS fund.

Under the Centre’s scheme, the federal government will contribute 14 per cent in opposition to an worker’s contribution of 10 per cent of his/her wage and DA with impact from April 1, 2019.

After protests by staff in Gujarat, the state authorities stated the brand new pension is not going to be relevant to these staff who had joined obligation earlier than April 2005. It additionally promised to extend its contribution to the fund to 14 per cent from 10 per cent earlier.

The staff have staged huge agitations in opposition to the federal government in Gujarat whereas demanding restoration of the OPS as a result of they consider the New Pension Scheme shouldn’t be within the curiosity of the retiring staff.READ | States must rethink on going again to outdated pension scheme: PFRDA chairman

With the BJP authorities not acceding to the calls for of the staff, the Congress and the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP have assured to convey again the OPS, in considered one of their most emphatic ballot guarantees.

Both events have assured the agitating staff that the brand new pension scheme (NPS) will probably be scrapped and the OPS will probably be restored. They have given the examples of their governments in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh (the place Congress is in energy) and Punjab (ruled by the AAP) to drive dwelling the purpose.

“We launched an agitation with 15 demands, of which those related to restoration of the OPS and fixed salary issue were not accepted. The government formed a committee. It said it will increase its contribution to the NPS fund but no notification was issued,” Digvijaysinh Jadeja, working president of the Akhil Bharatiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, a physique of presidency major faculty lecturers, advised PTI.

There are practically seven lakh authorities staff who’re urgent for the demand for the OPS, together with round 70,000 major faculty lecturers who joined earlier than 2005 on a set wage.

Jadeja had in February 2019 led an agitation the place round two lakh major faculty lecturers proceeded on ‘mass informal depart’ and gathered to protest exterior the Gujarat Assembly within the capital Gandhinagar.

The agitation was revived forward of the upcoming Assembly elections when hundreds of state authorities staff, together with faculty lecturers, joined the mass informal depart protest throughout the state in September this 12 months.

The agitation had pressured the federal government to mellow its stand on the problem and it promised to take the choice on the OPS on the proper time, saying it was a coverage matter.ALSO READ | Gujarat govt staff be part of ‘mass informal depart’ stir over outdated pension scheme

Mahesh Mori, convenor of the Rashtriya Samyukt Morcha, a physique of state authorities staff, advised PTI that the federal government’s guarantees have been solely verbal and no notification was issued to make it official.

“The authorities continues to be unsure over the problem of OPS.

We demanded that the OPS be carried out for all staff.

The authorities stated in a gathering with us that the staff who joined earlier than April 1, 2005, and never 2004, will get advantages of the OPS, however didn’t difficulty any notification,” Mori stated.

Jadeja stated they’ve held conferences in several elements of the nation and are demanding that the OPS be carried out in all of the states.

“The OPS is better because the retiree gets 50 per cent (of salary at that time) as pension. The NPS is based on the share market and the amount of pension reduces,” he claimed.

Jadeja stated the staff in Gujarat are conscious that non-BJP-ruled states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab and West Bengal have reverted to the OPS for his or her staff, whereas the 17 states ruled by the saffron social gathering proceed with the NPS.

“They will decide accordingly what to do in the election,” stated Jadeja, who can be the president of the Gujarat State Primary Teachers’ Federation.

The implementation of the OPS is a part of the Congress’s election manifesto for Gujarat. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had stated these claiming that the OPS will put a burden on the exchequer weren’t proper because it was all about monetary administration.

The AAP has assured authorities staff in Gujarat that it’ll implement the OPS if voted to energy within the state. To bolster its level, the AAP authorities in Punjab reverted to it quickly after the cabinet there gave the nod for its restoration.

AAP nationwide convener and Delhi CM Kejriwal in an announcement lately claimed the brand new pension scheme was “unfair” and stated the OPS ought to be restored and carried out everywhere in the nation. He had additionally tweeted that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP authorities in Punjab fulfilled the promise.

“If the people of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat give (us) a chance, we will implement OPS there too,” Kejriwal had stated. Polling for the 68 Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh was held on Saturday.