Under stress from nation personnel and competition parties, the Maharashtra authorities Tuesday introduced the formation of a three-member committee to behavior a comparative look at of the vintage and new pension schemes and post a time-sure record.
The pass got here after competition leaders boycotted Tuesday`s complaints withinside the legislative council as a mark of protest against “authorities inaction” and Leader of the Opposition Ajit Pawar raised the problem withinside the meeting
According to nation authorities personnel` unions, an approximate 17 lakh authorities personnel in Maharashtra additionally went on an indefinite strike Tuesday, traumatic a go back to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
The OPS turned into discontinued via way of means of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) authorities in 2003 and changed via way of means of the New Pension Scheme (NPS). But needs to go back to the OPS had been gaining electricity throughout the country, with numerous non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states — Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Punjab — already having made the switch.
The promise of the OPS additionally emerged as a first-rate ballot plank in a few meeting elections this year.
Speaking withinside the Maharashtra meeting Tuesday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated, “There is a want to keep similarly discussions. Our authorities is empathetic to this call for and I might, but again, urge the authorities personnel to take a seat down with us and keep discussions as most effective thru a speak can all troubles be resolved and a very good choice taken.”
“We can promise that personnel won`t lose out on any blessings publish retirement below the triumphing New Pension Scheme. In fact, if one retires withinside the center of his provider period, he'll additionally get all of the blessings he might following the of of entirety of his complete tenure,” he added.
Pawar in the meantime argued that the authorities have to locate a right away method to the problem. “If crucial offerings are halted [because of the strike by government employees], it'll abate each day sports and normal humans will should suffer. Hence, the authorities wishes to discover a course immediately,” he stated.
Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has additionally issued a declaration traumatic that authorities personnel acquire what they may be entitled to.
“Government personnel are on strike traumatic the healing of the Old Pension Scheme. This authorities has blocked it. Why can`t it put in force the Old Pension Scheme? Some states have already carried out it. The personnel have to get what they may be entitled to,” he stated withinside the meeting Tuesday.
For Nitin Patel, a 38-year-vintage authorities worker running as a senior clerk at Mumbai`s St. George`s Hospital, the pension fear is one he has borne for over a decade — ever considering that he joined the provider in 2012. Since then, he and his colleagues had been elevating the problem thru numerous platforms, he stated. He is the various people presently on strike to protest the problem.
“Employees had been preventing over this difficulty for the beyond 18 years. So many governments come and go. When they may be in competition, they favour the OPS however whilst they may be in power, they are attempting to divert the problem over funds,” stated Patil, secretary of the St. George`s Hospital`s personnel` union.
OPS vs NPS
Under the OPS, authorities personnel who've labored for as a minimum two decades get 50 according to cent in their closing drawn profits as their pension. There aren't anyt any contributions made thru this period, and pension bills are due on the time of retirement.
The NPS, carried out in 2004 via way of means of the NDA authorities, delivered a gadget wherein the authorities and personnel make contributions 10 according to cent and 14 according to cent of the worker`s profits, respectively, closer to a pension fund. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority then invests this fund in diverse portfolios. The concept is that those contributions will develop and so the authorities can use them to pay pensions whilst it wishes to.
The consensus view amongst economists is that transferring lower back to the OPS might entail destiny financial misery for states — or “financial harakiri” because the State Bank of India (SBI)`s October 2022 Ecowrap positioned it.
“It appears that the states transferring lower back to the vintage schemes need to store cash presently and use the quantity to provide freebies to advantage popularity,” the SBI record stated. “However, it have to be emphasized that the cash for pensions might be gathered from the taxpayers in destiny. It additionally appears unfair that most effective a positive segment of humans (authorities personnel) get this advantage of pension.”
Employees on strike in Maharashtra, however, insist they may be not able to live on on the “meagre” pension because of them publish-retirement below the brand new scheme.
“Under OPS, an worker with, say, over Rs 50,000 according to month profits at retirement, turned into eligible to acquire a pension of over Rs 25,000 according to month. But the identical character below NPS might get Rs 1,800-2,four hundred according to month. How do we live on with this meagre cash,” requested Patil
He added, “You can recognize that Rs 1,800-2,four hundred won`t be enough to shop for the [LPG] cylinder additionally. And if we are becoming Rs 1,800 according to month after as a minimum two decades of provider, you may recognize that they have got cheated us,” he added.
States which have again to OPS
Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had introduced a go back to the OPS for 13.36 lakh authorities personnel withinside the nation in the course of his first cupboard assembly in January. Returning to the OPS have been a key ballot promise via way of means of the Congress withinside the run-as much as closing year`s meeting election.
The Aam Aadmi Party authorities in Punjab had additionally introduced a go back to the OPS in September closing year, however in November authorities personnel withinside the nation had protested, claiming the notification did now no longer point out information of the scheme and wellknown running procedures (SoP). In January, the Punjab authorities notified a panel to formulate an SoP for the OPS.
The NPS had turn out to be an albatross across the BJP`s neck, threatening to destroy the celebration`s ballot possibilities in lots of states.
Sources withinside the BJP had instructed ThePrint that the celebration turned into going through a sturdy push to carry returned the OPS from its personal leaders and allies in states which include Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana, specifically after dropping the Himachal meeting election to the Congress remaining year.
In Maharashtra, the OPS-NPS trouble turned into additionally one of the motives referred to for the BJP`s loss withinside the legislative council teachers` and graduates` seats election remaining month.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had stated withinside the wintry weather consultation of the meeting that the OPS wouldn`t be revived. But a month later, throughout a marketing campaign in Aurangabad, he stated the authorities might see if it may be financially labored around.