Thousands of employees of the Union government and Central public sector undertakings, including the defence establishments, marched to Ramlila Maidan 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 sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that if the existing National Pension Scheme (NPS) is allowed to continue, employees recruited on or after January 1, 2004, will be discriminated against and will be “left in the lurch” after retirement.
The memorandum said that under the OPS, 50% of the last basic pay drawn by the employees was straightaway given as pension and the Dearness Allowance was revised twice based 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 said urging Mr. Modi to intervene to revive the OPS.
End uncertainty, says staff
Employees who participated in the march demanded that the uncertainty over pension must end. Jai Prakash Gupta, an employee with the Agriculture Department, said the uncertainty of income due to the NPS raises concerns. “If something happens to me, my family’s financial security isn’t guaranteed under the NPS,” he said, adding that the Centre has deprived him of his old-age support. “The one who suspends NPS will win our vote, or else we’ll remove them from power,” he said.
Ashuthosh Upadhyay, another employee, said the vote for the BJP was for welfare, but now he had lost the trust over the saffron party. “The Modi government works for monopolies and corruption is now centralised,” he said. Satendra Kumar Sisodia, an employee with the Education Department, said the NPS is a burden imposed on the workers. “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,” said Kailash Patel, a colleague of Mr. Sisodia.
(With inputs from Garvita Shah)
